A Shinigami in Kuoh
by The Athletic Author
Summary: His fight with a few thugs who wanted revenge changed the course of his life. How will the explusion of Ichigo Kurosaki from Karakura High and his enrolment to Kuoh Academy affect the events regarding Devils, Fallen Angels, Angels and Dragons alike? Single Zanpakuto!Ichigo Hollow Mask!Ichigo IchigoxRiasxAkeno Possible Harem
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and High School DxD**

* * *

It was a seemingly normal Sunday morning as the light from the sun streamed in through the small opening of the blinds coverring the window. One orange-haired teenage boy in the name of Ichigo Kurosaki groaned in discontent as his eyes flickered open very briefly which closed almost immediately after as they were hit by the beam of light.

Grunting slightly, the eldest child of the Kurosaki family slowly sat up in bed, wiping the sleepiness off his eyes with one hand in the process. He continued to sit there without moving as he thought of the eventful few days before this day which led to him being expelled from Karakura High and enrolled to one of the most prestigious schools in Japan, Kuoh Academy.

"Sigh, guess today's the day I'm moving out of here huh?" Ichigo said to himself.

Its been almost three weeks since he regained his long-lost Shinigami powers and defeated Ginjo Kugo, and just as he thought he would live a normal life again, he got into a fight with a few thugs who wanted revenge in the school premises. And of course with his track record of picking fights, it had finally reached the boiling point of the principal of Karakura High. He was called to the office as was told he's expelled on the spot despite Ichigo's well-above average grades. It was a tough decision to make but the principal had no choice. Ichigo was pissed at that, but rules are rules. He begrudgingly accepted the decision, walked back to his class, grabbed his bag, and left not even stopping when his friends called out to him.

It was such a coincidence that on that same day, as Ichigo was thinking what he was going to do next, a letter arrived specifically for him. He opened the letter, and imagine the total surprise on his face as he read that his application to enrol into Kuoh Academy has been accepted. Ichigo had totally forgotten about his application due to all the stuff that happened which led to him regaining his powers.

After the Winter War, Ichigo lost his powers due to using the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshou against the traitor Sosuke Aizen. And due to that, he has finally gained the life he had yearned for, a peaceful life as a normal high school student without the capability of seeing any ghosts. His grades had also dropped due to the war but he's still above average. Well as a high school student, you got to think about your future right? He heard that Kuoh Academy had changed into a co-ed school not long ago as it was originally and all-girls private school. When such a prestigious school is open to enrolment, how can you not test your luck? So before the start of the new school year, he applied for the academy without telling anyone. He didn't know if he was going to get in so he didn't bother saying anything.

"GOOOOOOOOOD MOOOOOOORNIIIIIIIIING, IIIIIIIICHIGOOOOOOOOO!"

As the Substitute Shinigami was going to get up and get ready to move out, his eccentric father Isshin Kurosaki came flying through the window aiming to kick his son but failed to do so as the orang-haired teen ducked just in time for his father to fly over him and hit the wall head on. A part of him was glad to finally move out, just to get away from his annoying father's antics.

"Owwww," Isshin groaned as soon as he got up like nothing had happened and crouched down ready to pounce for another attack on his son, "Excellent reflexes my son! You dodged my Morning Rise Surprise Attack technique-"

"Shut up you old fart," Ichigo interrupted as he took off his white singlet, revealing his toned and muscular physique, "It's my last day at home and you're still being a pain in the ass first thing in the morning."

"Oh yeah, you're moving out to Tokyo to attend Kuoh Academy," Isshin stated before going back to his comedic nature as he comically cried out loud, "Oh Masaki! Our baby boy has grown up and is leaving the household! He's going to a formerly all-girls school. Oh imagine the number of new daughters we're going to have! And-!"

BAM!

A foot slammed onto his face courtesy of Ichigo, who has a large tick mark on his forehead and his face red out of embarrassment and anger, before he stomped him onto the ground with full force, his heel pressing into him making him groan out in pain.

"Quit with your perverted thoughts dammit! Man I'm so glad I'm moving out of here so I can get some needed peace and quiet without you annoying me and pissing me off for a change!"

"What was that?!"

"Don't "what was that?" me!"

And so starts another round of maybe final bout of fighting between father and son to destroy such a peaceful morning. Oh how I pity their neighbours.

...

**Scene change, inside train.**

Ichigo sighed in relief as he plopped onto an empty seat in the train that was inbound to Tokyo. He had packed up all his necessary stuff into his bag before he said his goodbyes. There were a few teary eyes in his group of friends especially Orihime and Keigo as all of them wished him well at Kuoh. Saying goodbyes to his sisters was much tougher. Yuzu was a total mess as she kept crying in his arms while Karin was happy for him, even telling him to introduce his girlfriend to them when he got one, which made Ichigo blush and lost his fuse.

Regarding his status as a Substitute Shinigami to protect Karakura Town, Urahara Kisuke told him not to worry about it as he said he will be able to deal with them for the time being until a competent Soul Reaper is given jurisdiction over the town in his absence. Ichigo was glad to hear that as he wasn't impressed with that afro-haired Shinigami to patrol the town. He's just too damn idiotic. What was his name? Imoyama-something? Meh, not like he cared about the name anyway.

During his journey, he kept looking out at the window as his thoughts wandered on how eventful and totally full of madness his life is as a teenager attending high school. From his ability to see ghosts to him being the Hero of the Winter War, it ain't a life aN average teenager wants to live in, even though it sounds cool. He may not get the peaceful life he had yearned for, but he was grateful to have the power to protect his precious ones. But now moving out of Karakura to a new place in Tokyo, life there could be peaceful at last.

"Attention! We are about to stop at Tokyo Station." a female voice announced over the PA System. He sighed once more before he stood up from his seat and grabbed the bag that was between his legs and placed it over his shoulder before walking to the exit of the train. He stepped off the train into the busy station and looked around, wondering where the hell he should go. His question was answered as his stomach rumbled, craving for food. Looking at his watch, he realized that it was already 2 o'clock in the afternoon. "First thing first," he said to himself, "Let's get some lunch." And with that, he set off looking for a decent restaurant to eat.

After having his lunch at a simple ramen stand, he set off looking for accommodation. It wasn't long before he found the perfect place to live in. The apartment he rented was decent. It has a bedroom which have a queen-sized bed, a decent living room with a 21-inch TV and a well-equipped kitchen. All for that for 95000 yen per month and it's within 15 minutes walking distance from where Kuoh Academy is. It was worth the money.

It was already close to night time after he bought groceries to fill up the empty kitchen, cleaned up the slightly dusty apartment and unpacked his stuff. Not taking a single rest after arriving here at Tokyo, fatigue washed over him instantly as he slumped onto his bed, without bothering to have a shower or get changed. He even decided to skip dinner as sleep slowly took over.

...

"Oh shit! I'm gonna be late on my fucking first day!" And that backfired on Kurosaki Ichigo as he ran towards his new school. He had totally forgotten to set the alarm before he slept. He woke up feeling disorientated and was confused why the alarm didn't set off. Imagine his shock when he saw the time, which was 25 minutes left until class starts. After having a quick shower, wore his new school uniform and placed a piece of bread between his teeth, he ran off to his school without stopping. There's no way in hell he will be late on his first day.

After what feels like hours of running, he finally reached the school gates. Regaining his breath and wiping the sweat off his forehead, he exhaled a sigh of relief as he checked his watch, stating that there were 10 minutes left till class starts. Before he enter the school premises, he looked himself over. The black blazer consisting of white accents lay open, not bothering to have it buttoned up, his white, long-sleeved dress shirt with a black ribbon on the collar was tucked into his black pants and he wore a pair of brown dress shoes to finish it off. Ichigo had to admit, he looked pretty good.

Setting his trademark scowl on his face, shoving a hand in his pocket and adjusting his book bag over his shoulder, he walked through the school gate and enter the school premises, not paying attention to the murmurs and the stares from other students that was directed at him.

After he reached the main office and received his time table, Ichigo headed off towards his classroom. This time Ichigo noticed the looks he was getting, jealous looks from the male students while the female students stared at him with red faces. This was quite new to the strawberry, as students in Karakura High used to cower in fear when he walked past, even though he did absolutely nothing. The attention he got here at Kuoh was different to what he got at Karakura. Ignoring the looks he was getting, he looked down at his paper and then back up at the class signs.

"Let's see, so my class is 3-A..." Ichigo passed by many of the other students that were in hallway and soon arrived at the classroom door, just in time as the bell rings. "So this is it huh?" Fixing his slightly messy uniform, he sighed once more before he knocked on the classroom door a couple of times and waited for it to open. It wasn't long before the door creaked open to reveal a woman, whom Ichigo assumed was the teacher.

"Ah, you must be the new student I was told about," The woman said with excitement as she gave a friendly smile,"I'm Mrs. Komiya, your new home room teacher. Please, come in!" the teacher said as she moved out of the door way and gestured the orange haired boy to enter the room.

Ichigo gave a quick nod before he walked in, and immediately found himself to the center of attention. All of the students in the room focused their eyes solely on him before breaking out into murmurs and hushed whispers. He chose to tune them out instead as he looked around the room. The first thing Ichigo noticed was that the classroom had no boys and full of girls. Not surprising to him as the academy just turned co-ed a couple of years ago. Another thing that stood out to him was a female that was sitting around the center of the classroom. His eyes widened slightly and a slight blush came to his cheeks as he looked at her, this student was beautiful.

She had a buxom young figure with a light skin tone and her eyes were a blue-green color. But what instantly caught his attention was her long, crimson red hair, with a single hair strand sticking out from the top and a few bangs that covered her forehead and side bangs framing her face. The only time he had seen a hair color like that was with Renji but hers was slightly different, like it was more of crimson than red in colour. Ichigo couldn't help but stare at the woman, sure he had seen beautiful women before but this one takes the cake.

"I have good news everyone!" the teacher gathered everyone's attention, including Ichigo's as he snapped out of his thoughts and pulled his eyes away from the crimson-haired woman. "We have a new transfer student in our class!" She said before turning to the orange haired boy and handed him a piece of chalk. "Please, introduce yourself."

Said person nodded as he turned around to face the blackboard and proceeded to write his name on it. After he is done he turned around and made his formal introduction to the class.

"Yo, nice to meet you all. Name's Ichigo Kurosaki and I hope we could get along." the strawberry introduced himself with his scowl in place.

Most of the girls in the classroom blushed and some squealed as they noted how sexy his low and husky voice is, combining with his bad boy aura. Standing at 181cm tall with spiky orange hair, sharp, cool, but not cold, brown eyes, that scowl which seemed to fit him so well, lightly tanned skin and a lean, toned body, Kurosaki Ichigo could only be one of the very few handsome boys in the school. Unlike the most popular boy in the school, Yuuto Kiba, who had the look of a bishounen, Ichigo was the epitome of a handsome bad boy.

The teacher noted the reactions of her students and hummed happily, "Alright then! Kurosaki-san, why don't you take your seat, it's right next to Gremory-san at the window." She said as she pointed towards an empty seat at the back near the window which was next to the crimson-haired woman that caught his attention, Ichigo nodded his head and walked silently towards his seat.

It wasn't until he sat down that he finally felt it. His eyes went slightly wide as he felt the reiryoku of the beautiful woman known to him as Gremory next to him. It doesn't feel human yet it doesn't feel like a Shinigami or Arrancar either. Her reiryoku felt dark but he sense no malevolent intent from it. Plus, her reiryoku was at a level of a highly-capable lieutenant.

What's more, he felt and identified two more students in his class that had similar reiryoku signatures as hers. One was a young woman with a buxom figure with very long black hair and violet eyes. Her hair was tied in a long ponytail, reaching all the way down to her legs with two strands sticking out from the top and sloping backwards, with an orange ribbon keeping it in place. The other was a young bespectacled woman with a slim figure, black hair styled in a short bob cut and violet eyes. Both are also at least at the level of a lieutenant, making him raising a hand and rubbing his forehead in irritation.

_"Why am I always attracting weird stuff?," _the orange-haired Shinigami inwardly groaned, _"Maybe_ _life here ain't gonna be peaceful after all."_ he concluded as he pushed all those thoughts away and focus on the lecture, not noticing as the crimson-haired woman gave him a glance from the corner of her eye.

...

Ichigo had never been so glad to hear to bell ring. It was only lunchtime and he was already tired as he rubbed his temples. He understood why Kuoh Academy was one of the best high schools in Japan. The classes at Karakura High was totally different than the ones at Kuoh. Comparing those two classes is equivalent to comparing heaven and earth. No contest. Plus his stomach had been begging for food badly, probably due to him having just a single piece of bread this morning.

Getting up of his desk with a stretch, he shoved his left hand into his pocket, walked out of the class and towards the cafeteria to get some food. Still unfamiliar with the school, he got lost a few times before finally reaching the cafeteria. After buying a sandwich, he took the chance to walked around and explore the school while eating.

Ichigo got to admit, this school was on a whole different level. The facilities here were flawless and top-class. Looking around the hallways he was walking on, he felt like he was walking on an castle of some sorts. Heck even the sandwich he was eating tasted better than the food at Karakura High. As he stopped walking, he looked out of the window and marvelled at how beautiful the front entrance was, where a water fountain stood at the center of the entrance. His lips curled slighty upwards into a small smile as he never thought he would go through a school day in peace, without any interruptions.

_'This feels nice,_' he thought as continued to look outside the window while he finished the last few bites of his sandwich. _'No hollows to deal with, no gangsters came looking for me to piss me off. It may be a little boring but this is a good change of pace." _Then he inwardly sighed as he added, _"Well, it may be temporary but_ _I'll enjoy it while it lasts."_

After finishing the last of his sandwich, he then proceeded to walk towards the back entrance and out to the large clearing to breathe in some fresh air, hands tucked into his pockets as he enjoyed the sights and sounds of the school.

At least he would have had it not for the fact that another sound caught his attention. It was a very familiar sound, one he had heard so many times before when Keigo and Kon were reading their porn mags.

It was the sound of perverted giggling.

His scowl deepened as he walked towards where the giggling came from. After a few moments, he found three boys peeking through a small hole of the wall, each giggling rather perversely and were wiping away small trails of blood from their noses, well only two were looking while the third was trying to move them to see. Seeing the scene before him, he resisted the urge to facepalm. Of course this situation would happen. Considering the school just went co-ed a few years ago, it won't be long before perverts enrol this school just to satisfy their unnatural lust.

Ichigo had explored enough of the school to guess that this was the Female Kendo Club's changing room. Seeing them peeping without any shame irked the orange-haired teen a hell lot. They reminded him of Keigo, Kon and even Honshou, particularly due to her obsession towards Inoue's boobs. He had caught Kon do that stuff a lot and he usually put him in his place. He silently walked towards the three, careful not to make a sound as he stopped when he stood directly behind them.

...

Hyoudou Issei was trying to move one of his two friends, Matsuda and Motohama to the side as he tried to peek into the Female Kendo Club's changing room. He was a 17 year old high school student of average height with short brown hair and light brown eyes. He wore the same standard academy uniform as everyone else who went to Kuoh Academy, though he also wore a red undershirt and blue sneakers. Along with Matsuda and Motohama, they were infamously known in Kuoh Academy as the Perverted Trio.

Peeping on the kendo club as they got changed in the girls locker room. Just looking at all that lovely, female flesh, the soft, milky skin, and the incredible range of breast sizes was enough to make him and the other two perverts nearly cream themselves. But currently Issei couldn't experience that pleasure yet as his two friends hogged the peeping hole to themselves.

"Muruyama's boobs are so big!" Matsuda whispered loudly with glee.

"She's 82-70-81." Motohama added.

"Katase has great legs!"

"She's 78.5-69-79."

"Such a miracle that I found this spot during PE!" Matsuda stated as he and Motohama continued to hog the peeping hole by themselves, totally ignoring Issei's pleas to let him peep, not noticing the presence of a scowling orange-haired strawberry standing beside them.

"Oi you three," said man spoke with an edge, as the Perverted Trio froze simultaneously and slowly turned around in fear, which only grew as they recognized the one that caught them red handed was the new transfer student, and new enemy of all boys in the school, who had crossed his arms and was scowling deeply. This however was not what scared them as a dark aura seemed to flow around him. Before they could run away, Ichigo start to speak, "Question no.1: What is behind that wall? Yes! You with the bald head!"

Matsuda stammered as he looked left and right towards Issei and Motohama, who were shaking uncontrollably. He had no choice but to tell the truth as he nervously stuttered, "Um... uh... this is the Female Kendo Club's changing room, there are girls changing clothes behind there-"

"ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!" Ichigo roared as he threw a powerful kick at Matsuda's face, making him fall onto the ground unmoving and made Issei and Motohama jaw-dropped at his strength.

"M-Matsuda!" Issei called out.

"And you! The one with the brown hair! Answer me!" Ichigo roared at Issei which made he took a step back in fear, "What were you three doing at that hole on the wall over there?"

"W-Well... w-we were peeping at the girls that were changing-"

"You disgusting lechers!" Ichigo growled as he threw multiple punches on Issei's and Motohama's face, making them screamed in pain as they gingerly held their face. The trio looked up and trembled in fear as fire seemed to emit out from the back of the new transfer student as he glared at them, "You guys remind me of Kon, or maybe worse! I dare you to do that again! Or else you could kiss your balls goodbye!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!" the three of them comically hugged together in fear, not wanting to lose their family jewels before they instantly got up and ran away, not wanting to know who's this 'Kon' he mentioned, "We're so sorry!"

As Ichigo watched them ran for their lives, he dusted himself as he sighed and started to walk away, "Man, I think I scare the shit out of them, yet I got a feeling this won't be the last time of its occurence-"

"Kurosaki-senpai?"

"Um?" Ichigo heard his name called out before he could go any further. He turned around to see a group of Kendo girls with a shinai each in their hands. They had heard the commotion outside their changing room, guessing the Perverted Trio were at it again. Imagine their surprise as they came out to see them getting beaten up by the transfer student. He noted that some of the girls were red in the face.

"Thank you very much for chasing them away," the girl with long brown hair tied in a ponytail by a red ribbon said with a sincere smile as she bowed slightly at him, "They have been peeping at us repeatedly and we had beat them up numerous times, yet they still come back. You have my gratitude."

"Ah it's nothing," Ichigo shrugged as he waved it off, "Seeing them disrespecting you girls by doing what they did just pisses me off, I just put them in their place. Well I'll be going then." He finished as he gave them a small smile before he turned around and waved goodbye.

"Kyaaaaa! Not only he's hot, he's strong too!"

"Such a hunk!"

"We have to thank his previous school for transferring him to us!"

"Hey hey, do you think he's still single?"

"A hot guy like that? No way! But if he is…Kyaaaaaaa!"

Said person blushed slightly before suppressing it as he heard the squeals coming from the Kendo girls. The attention he got here at Kuoh_ really_ was totally different than the ones he got before at Karakura. Well not that he didn't like it or welcome it, he got to admit it's better than Karakura, where students would see him more as a delinquent and cower in fear at his presence, it's just that he never expected he would garner _that _much attention in a positive way. Man talk about a change of pace.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he walked serenely along the pathway as he planned to explore the school grounds further before going back to his class. It was then he stumbled upon an old building. It was a long two-storey building with a touch of vintage in its design. Part of the walls were covered with moss, which had grown on it probably due to the building hasn't been used for a long time. On the middle of the building roof was what look like an ancient school clock.

It took Ichigo a few moments to realize that he was staring at the old school house. He heard that the building was still in use during the academy was still an all-girls private school, but was abandoned and used by a school club after the academy turned co-ed and the new school building was made. Seeing no business with the building, he proceeded to turn around and walk back to class.

Before he could do so, he caught a glimpse of red at the window of the old building by the corner of his eye.

He looked up and slightly startled as he saw the beautiful crimson-haired girl standing by the window, staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face. So she was a part of a school club that was using the building huh? Unusually in a good mood today, he stared back at her for a few moments before he lips curved slightly upwards into a small smile and waved at her. Seeing this, the crimson haired female tilted her head, looking a tad curious for several moments before a soft smile played from her lips and she waved as well.

It was just then the school bell rang, signalling the end of lunchtime.

Ichigo took one last look at her before he pivoted on his heels and walk back to class. During their brief eye contact he could still felt the unknown power emitting from her, but as long as she doesn't pose a threat to him, he saw no reason to be concerned.

...

"Did you get Kurosaki-kun's student file from Sona, Akeno?" Rias asked as she watched the transfer student walked away with his hands in his pockets.

"Yes Buchou," Akeno replied as she opened the file she acquired from Rias' childhood friend at the Student Council Room, "It states here that he was a former student at Karakura High but got expelled due to fights with thugs in the school grounds. Despite that, his grades are among the Top 20. Other than his school and medical records, nothing much is in it."

"Sigh, this doesn't reveal anything about the power I felt from him," Rias groaned as she turned around to face her Queen, "Especially when the power is at a high S-level, yet it doesn't feel anything like a devil, fallen angel, or even an angel. You felt it too right?"

"Ara ara, is it love that I see? Has Buchou become interested in Kuoh Academy's newest student?" Akeno asked with a teasing tone.

"S-Shut up, that's not the point!" Rias stammered with a half-heartened glare as she tried to suppress the incoming blush. She couldn't deny that Ichigo was actually quite good-looking, "He could be a great addition to us, but since we've no idea who he is, for now we'll keep an eye on him. Let's go Akeno. We're gonna be late for class."

"Yes Buchou," is Akeno's response as she placed the file on Rias' desk and followed her out of the room and out of the building . Along the way to their class, the crimson-haired devil had only one thought occupying her mind.

_"What are you, Ichigo Kurosaki?"_

_..._

After hearing the school bell rang, the students made their way either off campus or to their club rooms. Ichigo was walking out of the front entrance and towards the gates, his bag slung over his shoulder. It was a fine first day of school here for the orange-haired Shinigami, other than his newfound popularity with the girls, detecting unknown reiryoku from a few girls in his class and beating up some shameless perverts.

Talking about newfound popularity, he was surprised as some girls in his class had daringly came forward and offered him to show him around the area. He politely declined them which made the girls whine in disappointment, citing the reason he hasn't finished unpacking in his new home. The truth was he was just tired and wanted to complete his homework before going to sleep.

His thoughts were short-lived as he heard some loud commotion outside the gates. Increasing his strides, he exited the gates and-

"I SAID APOLOGIZE YOU BRAT!" As he passed through the gates, a feeling of deja vu hit him as he saw a regular street thug towering in front of a petite girl, holding a bat in his right hand. She had white hair, with two long bangs going past her shoulders in the front and several loose bangs hanging over her forehead, while the back has a short bob cut and two black cat-shaped hair clips on each side of her hair. She was wearing the Kuoh Academy girls' school uniform, but unlike other female students, she didn't have the shoulder cape. "ARE YOU DEAF OR WHAT?!"

The girl didn't say anything as she looked down at the ground, where a crushed candy laid on the floor. "… You were the one who bumped into me." She gave the man a blank stare, "… And then you made me drop it."

"Why you?! How dare you defy me?!" The thug shouted as he lifted the hand with the bat, ready to swing it down. But as he was about to send it down, his eyes widen as his wrist was caught in a tight grip by a newcomer beside him, stopping his motion and making him wincing in pain at the grip. He turned his head to the right to see the scowling face of Ichigo.

The thug regained his composure before shouting at the orange-haired man, "You asshole! what are-"

"Shut up, bastards like you picking up on a kid? What a coward," Ichigo interrupted as he pulled the thug closer before sending a powerful punch onto his face, making the thug fall and skidding on the ground. It wasn't long before the thug shakily stood up and discarded the bat. He went on to rummage his pant pocket and took out a swiss knife before charging at Ichigo. Unfazed by the knife, Ichigo just caught the knife-wielding hand before sending another punch onto his jaw, breaking almost a dozen teeth in the process and making him fall on his back.

Before the thug could stood back up, Ichigo slammed his foot onto the man's chest, getting a yell of pain as a little blood came out of his mouth. "Question no.1, why is that kid's candy crushed on the floor?"

Seeing the glare from the teen, the thug nervously swallowed before he answered, "B-Because I bumped into her a-and made her drop her c-candy-"

"Yet why you were bullying her when it was your fault huh?!" Ichigo roared as he stomped his foot onto his chest once more, making the thug wheezed in pain as he lost his breath before the orange-haired teen took a step back. He crossed his arms sent a full-blown glare at him, "Consider this as a warning. If I see you around bullying again, I will make sure your body will be crushed like that candy over there! Now scram!"

The thug slowly got to his feet, holding his chest as he glared at Ichigo, 'You're going to pay for this." After that was said, the man ran away as fast as he could.

The orange-haired teen placed a hand in his pocket as he watched the man ran away and sighed, "Man that is so Déjà vu," He looked back at the white-haired girl, who stared blankly at him with hazel eyes. "You okay?"

"… Yes, I am fine." That was all she said before she looked towards the floor where her candy had fallen.

Ichigo blinked a few times, following her gaze to the candy. Letting out a sigh, the teen reached into his pant pocket and took out a rainbow lollipop. Walking over to the girl he held it out to her, "Here, take it," She looked up and saw the lollipop in his hand, before looking back at his face. "What? You lost your candy because of that bastard and I doubt he'll get you a new one, so here you go."

Looking back between Ichigo and the lollipop once more, the girl took the offered lollipop. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, glad to help a fellow Academy student," Ichigo replied before he introduced himself, "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, third year. I just transferred in today."

"… Koneko Toujou… first year." The newly named Koneko replied with her usual monotone.

"Well nice to meet you Koneko," Ichigo acknowledged her before he turned around and walked towards the gates to retrieve his bag. After he slung his bag over his shoulder, he looked over his shoulder at Koneko and waved goodbye as he spoke once again, "Well I gonna get going! Take care of yourself!" he finished before walking away.

The white haired girl only stared at him as he walking away. After a few seconds her eyes went to the rainbow lollipop she was holding. She opened its wrapping and licked it, pausing for a second. "…This tastes good." Koneko said to herself before she continued to lick it at a slightly faster pace as she started walking back through the gates and head towards the old school house.

Meanwhile, Ichigo groaned and rubbed his forehead in irritation as he thought about his brief altercation with that thug. It was not the thug that irked him, it was that white-haired girl Koneko. When he handed over the lollipop to her, their hands slightly made contact, and from there the orange-haired teen felt it. Her reiryoku was similar to that crimson-haired woman and his other two classmates. Ichigo did well to hide his surprise as he felt it.

_"So even that kid has the same reiryoku signature as her huh? Man, It won't be surprising if I found out there are more students that have the same reiryoku signature." _he thought as he continued his journey home.

Unknown to Ichigo, two pairs of eyes were watching him from the windows of the school hallways. One pair of eyes belonged to Akeno, who had an aroused look on her face as she licked her lips. She had her arms crossed under her breasts, a little shiver going through her body as she recalled how Ichigo brought the thug down without any difficulty.

"Ara ara, he was certainly vicious towards that man wasn't he? Ufufufu," Akeno laughed in her hand, "Now I understood why thugs targeted him in his previous school."

"True, and the way he fought was something I've never seen a normal person his age do before. And he fought like it was second nature to him, like a highly-experienced hand-to-hand combatant. Yet I have a feeling that wasn't his true strength," Rias deduced with curiosity evident in her voice.

"He truly is an interesting one ne, Rias?"

"Yeah, as I've said before, the power he was emitting was at high S-level, yet I have never felt that kind of power before, it was totally different from an angel, fallen angel, devil, or even human" Rias explained as she recalled the immense energy that washed over her as he entered the classroom and her brief encounter with the orange-haired transfer student at the old school house where she caught him checking out the building while looking out of her window before noticing she was staring at him. The image of him giving her a small smile while still scowling, though not that much as he waved at her flashed in her mind, which made her blush slightly before continuing. "Even though we have even talked yet, I have to admit, Kurosaki-kun is definitely one of the most interesting people that I've encountered."

Akeno noticed this and took the chance to tease her as she said, "Ara ara, is Rias starting to have a crush on Kurosaki-san? Oh what would the Underworld say if they found out that the famous Rias Gremory is developing feelings for a human? Ufufufu." Akeno said as she smiled innocently at her.

"You're the one to talk, Akeno," Rias retorted, "I know you are also attracted to him due to the bad boy aura he was emitting off from him."

"Oh my, looks like I got caught red-handed," Akeno amusedly replied as she placed her hand on her cheek, feeling it slightly heating up.

"But still, who knows? From what I've seen, he's miles better than _that _man," Rias gave her friend a small grin before looking back towards Ichigo's retreating form. "He's so mysterious, which makes me wanna know more about him." She said, closing her eyes as a thought came to mind, "And when I finally know what's the power in him, maybe he could join us..."

* * *

**Well it's been like what, 10 months since I last wrote a story? Anyway it's great to be back typing stories for now and not preoccupied with books, books and more books.**

**This year is my exam year and my most important year as it's my last year at high school before I go to college next year. I've been studying my ass off yet my results are still very average. Thus I've become less active in here. So I'm sorry to all the readers who had been expecting updates for my two existing stories, The Shinigami of Fairy Tail and The Strawberry Teacher.**

**And don't expect them anytime soon. My time is super limited and I've just a month and a half left before finals kick off, or SPM to any Malaysian readers out there. So I'm devoting my time more on studying for now.**

**You may be wondering why I'm posting this new story even though I spouted all of the above. Well it's because currently I'm on a week of school holidays, and today's the penultimate day of the holidays. And this story idea was stuck in my head for days now, so yeah.**

**And really, it's been months since I've typed, so my typing was pretty rusty. So sorry if there are any glaring spelling and grammar mistakes.**

**Please R&amp;R. Constructive criticism is accepted.**

**albert27 out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and High School DxD.**

* * *

It was his third day in Kuoh Academy as Ichigo Kurosaki was walking out of his classroom. It was lunch time and he was heading towards the back entrance to the courtyard to find a suitable place to relax while sipping a drink box through a straw.

His second day had went by without any problems and not as eventful as the first day, other than bumping into a second year male student known as Yuuto Kiba. He was a handsome young man with short blonde hair, grey eyes and a mole under his left eye. He accidentally bumped into him as Kiba was exiting his classroom, 2-C during lunchtime. They had a brief conversation after that, though it was tough to listen one another due to the constant squealing from the female students around them.

And he even had the same reiryoku signature as _them_ as well. Why is he not so surprised?

"Kurosaki-san?" A alluring female voice called out, stopping him on his tracks. He looked over his shoulder to see the crimson-haired girl and another girl walking up to him. "Going outside for lunch?"

_"Speak of the devil," _Ichigo amusedly thought without realizing the irony of the sentence as he gave an affirmative grunt and answered, "Yeah, plan to find a suitable place outside to relax."

"Mind if we come along with you?" she asked.

"Suit yourself," he shrugged and continued walking. He could hear their footsteps approaching and the two ladies settled to walk at either side of him as they walked out to the courtyard, with the crimson-haired girl at his left and her accompaniment at his right. Ichigo noticed they were considerably shorter than him, with the both of them just reaching above his shoulders. They could hear the murmurs and whispers breaking out from the students around them but they chose to ignore them. It's not often you see two of the most popular girls in the school walking around with the newest transfer student.

"Well it seems that we haven't been introduced properly to one another," Rias smiled as she placed her hand on her chest, "I'm Rias Gremory, it's nice meeting you," and gestured to the girl at Ichigo's other side, "And this is my best friend, Akeno Himejima."

Ichigo looked at the gestured girl and noted that she was the raven-haired girl whose hair was tied in a long ponytail that has the same reiryoku signature as the crimson-haired girl now known to him as Rias Gremory. Having a better look at her now, Ichigo had got to admit, she was definitely up there with Rias in the beauty department.

"It's a pleasure meeting you as well, Kurosaki-kun, please take care of me," Akeno said to him with a smile of her own.

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, nice meeting the both of you too," he replied with his own introduction before looking back at Rias, "So you guys are heading to old school house I presume?"

"Yes we do, we were heading to the old school house to have our lunch." She replied, smiling a bit. Noticing the questioning look on the scowling teen's face, she added, "My club uses the building as our club house. We usually keep our things in there when we're at school."

"Oh I see, what kind of club is it?" Ichigo asked.

"The Occult Research Club," Rias answered, noticing the slight twitch in his hand that was holding his drink box at the answer as he raised an eyebrow at her, "I'm actually the President of the club, while Akeno is my Vice-President."

"Occult Research? You mean your club's purpose is to research those paranormal and dark arts kind of stuff like that?" he inquired.

"That's right, but we also deal with the more recent type of supernatural subjects. Such things like Devils, Angels and even Yokai." Akeno answered for him.

"Sounds interesting" Ichigo commented, not noticing Rias perked up at his answer and the slight glint in her eyes.

"So you believe in their existence?" Rias asked.

"You could say that," After turning from a human who could see ghosts to a fully fledged Shinigami and encountering tons of weird stuff in the past that led to today, it was hard not to believe that other things like that could exist.

"PERVERTS! COME BACK HERE AND RECEIVE YOUR PUNISHMENTS!" The three turned to their left to see three familiar male students being chased by the Female Kendo Club. The three boys rounded the corner and tried to escape, only for a few girls to already be there and capture the three before tying them up and pulling them away. Ichigo facepalmed as he watched the perverts getting pulled away further. To think they'll learn after he scared them shitless two days ago.

"I guess that had happened very often before I transferred here?" the orange-haired teen asked as he and the girls watched the group disappear into one of the buildings.

"Yes. Unfortunately, those three you saw there are known as the Perverted Trio." Akeno explained, "Those three are the most perverted students in the school, so they end up in a lot of situations like this."

"Oh is that so? That clears everything up," Ichigo replied, sweatdropping at that, they had titles for perverts?

"Speaking of them, I heard you gave them a beating after you caught them peeping at the Female Kendo Club's changing room on your first day, Kurosaki-san," Rias giggled as she watched his face turned to a look of surprise as he looked at her.

"You heard of that!?"

"News spread fast here, Kurosaki-kun," Akeno told him, a little amused at his reaction, "You just transferred in and you're already popular with the girls, which increased after you beaten up the Perverted Trio on your very first day, witnessed by the Female Kendo Club. Why do you think you've gotten more attention by the students the next day than your first day?"

"And then there's another rumor spreading around that you saved the first-year student, Koneko Toujou from a thug on the same day," Rias said adding her two cents, "For a transfer student, calling your first day eventful is quite an understatement, Kurosaki-san."

Ichigo closed his eyes at that and released a groan as he finished sipping the last of his drink from his drink box, "Man, this popularity thing is going to be a pain in the ass, I'm sure of it," he sighed, referring to his fast-growing popularity among the female students at Kuoh, eliciting small chuckles from both women.

"I'm guessing that you weren't so popular in your previous school?" Rias asked, getting a nod from Ichigo.

"People would fear me because I look like some kind of delinquent, mainly due to my orange hair," he told her, "And that made me stood out like a sore thumb to thugs. I was always in fights ever since junior high."

"Ara ara, looks like we've a delinquent as our newest Kuoh Academy student," Akeno teased, feeling highly amused and giggled in her hand as Ichigo gave her a glare.

"I am not! I just can't help fighting back when some bastards are picking up on me." he retorted.

"Ufufufu, jokes aside," Akeno said as her chuckles died down, "We are near to the club house Rias. We should probably finish up our lunch quickly, break should be ending soon."

Rias nodded her head in agreement, "Yes you're right. Well I'll see you later Kurosaki-san," Turning around, Rias gave him a smile before starting to walk away, Akeno bowed her head a bit with a smile of her own as she followed after the red-head.

"Hey Gremory!" Ichigo called out, making the girl look back at him. "Call me Ichigo. I'm not into the formality crap."

The girl smiled and nodded her head as she replied, "Sure, as long as you call me by my given name as well."

"Fair enough," Ichigo gave her a small smirk as he watched Rias and Akeno walked towards the old school house. After they disappeared from sight, he walked over to the grassy hill overlooking the courtyard and lay there to relax with his eyes closed until the bell rings.

They may not be human judging by their reiryoku, but after having such a seemingly normal conversation between them, it just gave him lesser room to doubt that they weren't much of a threat and there's nothing to be too bothered about. Life here may be peaceful at least until graduation after all.

Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

...

**Timeskip, a week later.**

Ichigo was reading William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' at his seat to kill some time as he waited for the class to start. It was still pretty early before homeroom starts, judging by the number of empty seats in his class. He may look like a genuine badass, but Ichigo is actually pretty interested in literature, especially in the works of William Shakespeare. In fact, he has a collection of Shakespeare's books back in Karakura, and he brought a few of his books along with him when he moved out.

He read the book so intently he never noticed someone stood behind him looking over his shoulder for a few minutes already.

"For someone who looked like a total delinquent, I never thought you have such an interest in literature, Ichigo-kun."

Slightly startled by the voice, Ichigo turned his head around and saw the bob-styled black-haired bespectacled woman that has the same reiryoku signature as Rias and Akeno standing behind him with her arms crossed, an amused look on her face as she looked down at him. Ichigo known her just enough to know that she's Souna Shitori, who has the highest grades of all third-year students in Kuoh Academy and is also the Student Council President. She had introduced herself to him shortly after Rias and Akeno had done the same. She reminded Ichigo of Uryu, but unlike the Quincy, she doesn't has a stick up her ass.

"Cut the crap would you?" Ichigo groaned, "Of course you wouldn't think of me as such. Some stuff can be problematic when you have bright orange hair like I do."

"But still, it's still quite surprising to see someone have an interest in literature, Shakespeare even." Souna reasoned as she walked to stand beside his desk, "You were reading your book so intently you never noticed I stood behind you for more than five minutes," she added, making Ichigo widen his eyes, "Most guys now wouldn't have such hobbies."

"Well I'm not like most guys you speak of," Ichigo retorted, regaining his composure.

"Indeed you are," Souna elicited a small chuckle as she asked, "You read often?"

"Yeah, as a time consumer when I have totally nothing to do." Ichigo told her, "I admire this guy though," he added, motioning at his already closed book, his tone thinly-veiled with enthusiasm, "his works are interesting to read."

"Is that so?" Souna wondered out loud, he's getting more interesting the more she knows about him, "You're quite intellectual than you actually look."

"My hair gets me enough abuse and I'm not going to be an academic loser on top of it." Ichigo replied as he looked up at bob-haired woman.

"Good point," the Student Council President agreed but before she could elaborate any further, a new voice spoke up behind her.

"Good morning Souna. I see that you're getting acquainted with our newest Kuoh Academy student." said woman turned around while Ichigo peeked over Souna's side to see Rias walking towards them, with Akeno behind her.

Speaking of those two, ever since they get acquainted with each other the previous week, Ichigo had become good friends with Rias and Akeno. They would have lunch together sometimes during lunch breaks either in the cafeteria or in the courtyard. Ichigo wouldn't admit it to anyone in public, but he liked their company. Those two are quite an interesting bunch, and have a tendency to tease him when there's a chance especially Akeno, to which Ichigo found it quite troublesome. Due to this, people were talking about how the new transfer student had become friends with Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies…and what the hell is with the weirdass titles?

"Ah good morning Rias," Souna greeted back with a small smile as the Two Great Ladies settled to stand in front of Ichigo's desk, "I found out something fascinating about Ichigo-kun, Looks like he is interested in this." She finished and proceeded to take said book out of the strawberry's hands and show it to them, surprising him in the process.

With his scowl in full force, he quickly stood up and snatched away his precious book from the hands of Souna and gave her a heated glare, "Hey give it back! You don't have to announce what I read to the whole world!"

"Ara ara, looks like Kaichou just hit a nerve," Akeno said, chuckling at his reaction for his book being taken away from him.

"Damn right she did," Ichigo growled, gritting his teeth even more.

Rias barely listen to their banter in front of her as her mind wandered to what Ichigo read. Souna held the book up just enough time before Ichigo took it away immediately to let the crimson-haired princess note that the book was one of William Shakespeare's most famous works. She was a little surprised. Ichigo reads literature? Rias somehow felt more attracted to him. An intellect under a delinquent shell. The saying 'don't judge a book by it's cover' suited him perfectly.

"It didn't occur to me even once that you're interested in literature, Ichigo," Rias told him, "It doesn't really seem like your style."

"Yeah yeah, I get that a lot. You don't have to remind me," Ichigo replied with a tick mark on his forehead and crossing his arms on his chest, irritation seeping in his voice. His reaction just made the three most popular girls in the school chuckle in amusement.

The four of them conversed a little further before the school bell rang, signalling the start of the homeroom session. The classroom door opened and their homeroom teacher walked in and towards her desk as she told everyone to get back to their seats, to which everyone complied before the class begin. After a week, Ichigo was used to the standards of the lectures here and could follow the classes pretty well now.

It wasn't long before the lunchtime bell rang and students were either remain in class, went to the cafeteria to satisfy their stomachs or went to the courtyard to get some fresh air. Ichigo planned to do the latter, but he had to take a detour to... complete his business before going to the courtyard. His bladder has been calling out to be emptied for the past half an hour now. Just before he took another step to exit the classroom, the angelic and alluring voice of a certain crimson-haired princess called out to him. "Ichigo?"

"What is it?" Ichigo turned around to see Rias walking towards him.

"Akeno is off on an errand, so I wonder if you wanna have lunch with me together at the cafeteria?" she asked. Before he could say anything her eyes went slightly larger with tears threatened to fall at the coner of her eyes and pushed her lower lip to make the girls' ultimate technique of cuteness, the puppy-eyed look, which made Ichigo took a step back with wide eyes as she asked, "You wouldn't want a beautiful girl like me to eat alone, do you?"

Seeing that look made Ichigo cringe and he thought of giving in to her, but God dammit his bladder is going to burst! Trying to ignore how cute Rias looked, he replied with a slightly strained voice, "Sure thing, but can I join you later at the cafeteria? I have some...business to attend to."

Rias noticed his eyes darted down to his crotch for a moment there as he finished his sentence. It was brief but she caught it. Realizing what he meant, she took the chance to tease him as she jokingly chided him, "My my Ichigo-kun. I know you are in a classroom full of girls and are quite pent up due to this, but are you sure it's appropriate to do _that _during school hours?_"_

"What?!"

"B-but, you know, you don't have to do it so secretly. You could just ask me to help you..."

"That's not what I meant! Get your mind out of the gutter dammit!" Ichigo retorted loudly with a blush that is a shade darker than a tomato, or possibly even redder than Rias' hair. "Argh shit! I can't take it anymore!" Feeling his bladder going to burst sooner or later, he turned towards the exit and dashed to where the toilet is as he shouted over his shoulder, ignoring the bewildered looks coming from the students, "I'll see you in the cafeteria alright?! Leave a seat empty for me!"

Rias just giggled as she watched Ichigo disappear into a corner. "So cute..."

...

_"Ah that felt good," _The toilet door opened and came out one relieved Ichigo Kurosaki as he closed the door and shoved his hands into his pockets. He continued walking in a comfortable silence on his way to the cafeteria where Rias is waiting for him.

As he got nearer to the staircase which led downstairs and towards the cafeteria, he felt the unknown dark reiryoku radiating from there. Unlike the ones he felt before, this one was weaker than the rest, more of a low-ranked seated officer. As he reached the beginning of the staircase, he stopped walking as he saw the Perverted Trio huddling at the middle of the staircase, with the bald-headed one known as Matsuda whispering something to the brown-haired one known as Issei, while the bespectacled one known as Motohama just looked on.

Ichigo quirked an eyebrow in confusion as he proceeded to lean over the staircase railing. He thought it was odd. Other than the three of them, there was no one else around them on the staircase, and he clearly remembered when he beat them up, their reiryoku felt human. So where did that reiryoku come from? It wasn't until he extended his much-improved spiritual senses much further that he realized who was the owner of the unknown reiryoku signature, and a surprising and unexpected one at that.

"KYA! It's Ichigo-senpai!"

"He's hot as always!"

Hearing their perverted conversation interrupted by the girls squealing, Matsuda and Motohama looked up and immediately quiver in fear as they saw their worst nightmare standing at where the academy's number one idol, Rias Gremory just stood. Their face twisted into a look of absolute horror as they hugged each other and simultaneously shouted, "Please don't hurt us!" Issei meanwhile unconciously took a step back.

Despite the girls squeals and the fearful looks from the three perverts, Ichigo totally ignored them. His mind was occupied by the fact the the owner of the unknown reiryoku is the one with the brown-haired pervert. Regaining his composure and scowling while his gaze focused on him, the gears in his mind started to turn. Impossible he thought. He felt totally human before, so why isn't he now? In fact, why he now has the same reiryoku signature as Rias, Akeno and Koneko to name a few? The last time he saw him was yesterday afternoon when he was exploring the Tokyo city centre, he saw the brown-haired pervert walking with a...black-haired...girl...

Wait was that it? Is she the one who made Issei felt 'inhuman'? But as he recalled his memory further, he remembered she didn't have the same reiryoku as what Rias have. Instead, her reiryoku felt more darker and much more different than Rias' and Akeno's. Plus, the two of them were acting like a normal couple. He guessed something may have happened after he went back to his apartment which was late evening. But what the hell happened yesterday?

Issei Hyoudou was not having a good day in the office. First he remembered clearly he got stabbed on the chest with a weird spear by his girlfriend Yuuma-chan, only to wake up in his room completely free from any injuries. Then he felt like he was dying as he walked to school under the sun, only to feel fine again as he entered class, which he thought was weird. What's more, his best friends, Matsuda and Motohama didn't even remember Yuuma-chan even though he introduced her to them a few days ago. How can he not felt hysterical?!

What was even weird was his senpai and the most beautiful and popular girl in the academy, Rias Gremory, gave him a side glance and a small smirk as she walked past him down the stairs, which made him blush and his heart go 'doki-doki'. Now the eye candy of the female students and enemy of the male students of the academy, Ichigo Kurosaki, was giving him a weird look, as if he was scrutinising him.

His body tensed up as Ichigo get off from his leaning position over the railing of the stairs and made his way down, all the while not leaving his intense gaze on him. Beads of cold sweat started to form on his forehead as he got closer and closer. His mind was on override that time. What was he going to do to him? Threaten him? Punch him? Making him lose his balls?

It wasn't until he felt a hand on his right shoulder that he was brought back to earth, making his breath hitched and his body froze for a moment. Looking at the corner of his eyes, he saw the orange-haired senpai right beside him, his hand on his shoulder and his eyes shadowed by his messy bangs. The loud chattering from the floor above was still going on, but to him, everything to him felt silent. He felt like time had just stopped around him.

_"I have no idea what happened to you yesterday,"_ his heart skipped a few beats as he heard Ichigo whisper into his ear. It was soft but he clearly make out every single word he spoke, _"but you don't feel _exactly _normal, so be careful."_ And with that, Ichigo's hand left his shoulder and said person continued his way down the stairs before reaching the bottom of the stairs and turned into the corner.

"S-Shit, I think I just p-pissed in my pants, t-that guy must be a d-devil," Matsude stammered as his leaned his back onto the wall behind him and slide down onto his butt.

"S-Stop saying that, y-you're making me f-feel t-traumatised," Motohama stuttered as he shakily pushed his glasses up.

Issei continued to stare at where the strawberry, not really paying attention to his friends as he recalled what said person just whispered to him _'…Does that mean...he...?'_

_..._

**Timeskip, Night time. **

"And... done!" Ichigo announced to himself in relief and mentally do a victory dance as he completed his homework and putting his pen on the desk. The amount of homework given in Kuoh was thrice the amount give in Karakura, but fortunately, he was able to keep up.

Leaning back on his chair, his mind wandered to the brown-haired pervert in his school. He couldn't shake off this gut feeling that something may happen tonight. And how strange it was when he didn't see the black-haired girl waiting from him at the school gates after homeroom ended. Since last midweek, he noticed she always waited for someone at the gates after homeroom, wearing a different school uniform he never saw before. Remembering what he saw yesterday, he realized she was most probably waiting for Issei. Her absense today rang the danger bells inside him.

It can't be a coincidence, was it?

But Ichigo knew better. Based on his experience, in every coincidences, something must be going on behind the scenes. His eyes landed on his Shinigami Badge on the table. Looking at the time, he realized there were a few hours before the hour hand struck midnight, and he wasn't sleepy in the slightest. Taking a glance at his badge once more, he sighed as he stood up and pick up his badge before pushing it onto his chest, ejecting his Shinigami form.

"_Pass the time by patrolling around the place wouldn't hurt_," he thought to himself before vanishing in a Shunpo.

...

Issei left his friends house feeling even more depressed than before. It seemed not even watching his favorite pornos could lift his spirits up.

His body has been acting strangely ever since he woke up today. As nighttime came, he felt some kind of power flowing through him, unlike this morning when he felt tired and weakened under the sun. He also realized his vision was much more clearer now than during daytime. In addition to that, he could hear people speak from a distance where no average human could do.

Oh how messed up his brain was. He realized he sounded as if he wasn't human.

Was he?

Shaking his head to break his illogical thoughts, he continued walking towards home and sulk along the way. He stopped walking when he arrived at the park where it all happened. He then walked towards the fountain in the middle of the park and looked at his reflection in the water. Flashbacks of Yuuma-chan started to flood his mind. Those flashbacks made him grit his teeth in frustration. He couldn't accept that all those memories with her was merely a dream.

As he started to get even more depressed, a strange feeling came over him. It was sort of like that feeling he got when he was about to be beaten by the Female Kendo Club, only different. It was much more sinister as the feeling of utmost fear crept over him.

"How unfortunate."

Issei froze at the voice behind him. Regaining his bearings and turned around, he saw a middle-aged-looking gentleman with short black hair and dark blue eyes walking into the light of a street lamp towards his direction. He wore an outfit that consisted of a pale violet trenchcoat over a white dress shirt with a matching ascot, black pants and shoes, and a black fedora.

"To actually bump into someone like you in a place like this, today must be my lucky day." The man traced his fingers along the rim of his fedora

Issei never heard what the stranger just said. Instead, he was preoccupied by the fact that he can't stop trembling and beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. Who was this man? And what the hell is going on? Why was he feeling this way?

Not wanting to stick around any longer, and feeling more than a little on edge around this guy, Issei did what he felt was the most logical thing at the time.

He turned around and ran like a possessed madman.

"Trying to run away?" The man taunted, but Issei ignored him and simply focused on running.. He had no idea what was going on but that doesn't matter. What matters was that he knew that old dude was bad news and he had to get away from him, fast.

His thoughts got distracted when he saw black feathers falling down from the sky. Issei's eyes widened. He knew he had seen those feathers before.

Just like Yuuma-chan.

He instantaneously looked up, expecting her to fly above him. He was shocked to the core when he saw the man he had tried to lose was flying above him with black angel wings similar to Yuuma-chan. He was stopped on his tracks when the old dude landed in front of him with his arms crossed.

"This is why low-level creatures are so troublesome," the man stated with disdain. Issei just looked at him dumbly, because the man spoke with no sense. He wasn't some kind of creature, he was just a regular human being!

Or so he thought.

The man frowned as he continued speaking, "Hmm... I can't detect any traces of your master or ally on you. You aren't trying to escape nor are you expanding a magic circle. Analysis of the situation suggests you must be a stray. In that case, killing you will not be a problem."

The man held out his hand and a bright light started to emit from it, and a spear of light appeared in the man's hand. Issei's eyes widened and turned to run, knowing he had to get out of here before he got killed.

But he didn't get very far. Before he could even run a meter from where he had been, he gasped in pain as an incredible pain erupted from his stomach. Issei looked down to see the cause, not surprised one bit to find he had the shaft of the light spear sticking out of his gut. His legs got wobbly and he kneeled onto the pavement, the pain unbearable to a great degree.

Coughing, Issei tried to pull the light spear out, only to feel more pain surge through him as his hands were literally burned by the light.

"You can't pull it out, can you?" the man behind him taunted with a smirk. "Light is a deadly poison to your species after all. I thought that would finish you off, but it seemsthat you're quite resilient." Issei gasped as he felt the spear disappear from his stomach, only to reappear onto the man's hand. "Worry not, I'll put you to rest now."

And with that, the man throw the light spear towards him. Issei closed his eyes, bearing for the upcoming impact, a tiny speck of him praying that someone will save him in the nick of time.

And his prayers were answered.

Just before the spear hit him, a newcomer appeared in front of him and destroyed the spear with a swing of his sword. Not feeling the incoming stab, Issei strained to open his eyes, only to be greeted by a man's back. He was wearing a black kimono with a white obi tied around his waist and a red strap across his right shoulder. His right hand was outstretched to the side, wielding what seemed to be a large cleaver. What surprised Issei the most was his hair.

There was no one he could think of other than him that has spiky orange hair.

"Man, I did tell you to be more careful, didn't I?" the man spoke with a familiar tone Issei knew he heard before in his school. There was no mistaking it.

The one who just saved his bloody ass was Ichigo Kurosaki.

"I-Ichigo-senpai..." Issei managed to call out to him before he lost consciousness and lay flat onto the pavement face down.

...

Ichigo scowled at the man who threw the light spear at the pervert. He was expecting a normal night patrol with the purpose of passing the time and making him tired so he could sleep, not to stumble upon more strange stuff.

He felt a spike of power at the park as he was patrolling around the area. When he arrived onto the scene, he was greeted with the sight of the man with a pair of jet black wings throwing a light spear at a seriously wounded Issei. In a burst of shunpo, he flashed in front of Issei and destroyed the spear with Zangetsu.

He knew from this moment his brief peaceful life has ended.

"Who the hell are you!?"

Ichigo looked up to see the fedora man glaring at him, and replied with another glare as he pointed his sword at him and said, "Who the hell am I doesn't matter, what matters is I'm going to kick your ass all the way to Soul Society for hurting the kid!"

"Soul... Society?" the man pondered for a while before a look of recognition spread all over his face and a maniacal grin started to form as he spoke, "I see, that black kimono, the released state of that sword. Who would have expect a Shinigami to appear in this town?" Missing the look of surprise from the orange-haired Shinigami's face, his hand form another light spear as he continued, "And a strong one at that. I could feel the power within you. Now let's dance and see who's the stronger one!"

"Do not lay a finger on that kid," a new female voice spoke.

But before he could charge ahead, a red magic circle appeared a few feet beside Ichigo's right. The look of surprise on his face was priceless as he saw his beautiful classmate and good friend, Rias Gremory materialized in the middle of the circle with a scowl on her face and her hands on her hips, glaring at the fedora man.

"Rias?!"

Hearing that familiar voice calling out to her, Rias looked over her side and was equally surprised to see the handsome transfer student wearing a black kimono and wielding a large sword while protectively shielding her pawn. "Eh?! Is that you, Ichigo? What are you doing here?"

"I should ask the same question to you!" Ichigo retorted before he took a few deep breaths to calm down. All these weird stuff that was happening was giving him a migraine. He rubbed his temple with his free hand as he spoke with an even tone," Wait, that's not the point now. The point now is that bastard just stabbed Hyoudou in the stomach and we got to deal with him."

"That red hair..." the fedora wearing fallen angel murmured. "I see, you wouldn't happen to be part of the Gremory Clan, would you?"

"That's right," Rias said, smirking at the fallen angel. She absently used her hand to flip some of her hair behind her head in a display of haughty elegance as she introduced herself. "I am Rias Gremory. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fallen Angel-san."

"Wait what? Fallen Angel?" Ichigo repeated what she called the fedora man as he turned his gaze at him.

"Oh wow. Who knew this was the jurisdiction of the Gremory family's heiress apparent?" The man tried to look nonchalant as he brushed away the dust from his hat. "Is he one of your servants? If so, please don't leave your servant unattended like that. Someone like myself might bump into him while accidentally taking a walk and think he's a stray that needs to be put down."

"Thank you for the helpful advice," Rias cast him an amused smirk before her expression turned incredibly serious. "But perhaps you should be taking your own advice. This city is under my jurisdiction. If you interfere in my business or try to hurt one of my cute little slaves again, I may have to take more drastic actions."

"The same goes for you, Heiress to the Gremory family. My name is Dohnaseek. Pray that we never meet again, especially you, Shinigami."

Ichigo just deepened his scowl at him as he disappeared into the sky, leaving a few black feathers falling from the sky. Tch, of course he'll meet him again. That asshole would pay for hurting the innocent.

"Shinigami?" Ichigo looked over towards where Rias stood as he heard her said that. She swore she had heard of the term before, but she couldn't put a finger on it, "Why did he call you that, Ichigo?"

Ichigo sighed as he run his free hand over his spiky orange locks and said, "I'll explain it to you, but that's not important now," he proceeded to walk towards the still-bleeding and downed Issei and knelt at his side, with Rias doing the same at Issei's other side.

"Look," Ichigo looked up at Rias and spoke, making Rias looked up as well and meet his gaze. She slightly blushed at the serious look Ichigo was giving her as he continued, "You have answers to my questions and I have answers to your questions, but that can wait until tomorrow." He then gestured at the downed boy "His reiatsu's fading rapidly and has less than 10 minutes to live at this rate. I presume you know healing magic?"

"Yes, I am quite knowledgable in healing magic." Rias replied.

"Well then, it's all up to you to save him," he finished as he stood up and flashed her a small smile, "I'll see you tomorrow in class then. Goodnight Rias."

"W-Wait, Ichigo-!" Before Rias could finish, he vanished in a blur, leaving her alone with her pawn. She frowned for a while before a playful smirk formed on her lips, "Oh I'll get my answers all right, very, _very _early in the morning." Then she diverted her attention to Issei, "Now it's time to save my beloved servant..."

...

**Timeskip, next** **morning**

"Hmmmm..." moaned Ichigo in satisfaction as he enjoyed the comfort of his soft bed.

The warmth under the blanket was perfect. Ichigo was too tired to change to his sleeping attire after what happened the previous night, so after he entered his body, he removed his clothing and just slept in a pair of boxers. The one thing that really made his morning even more comfortable, was the soft and warm pillow he wrapped around his arms. The pillow was warm, soft, and had a very sweet smell of roses...

_'Wait a minute...when did I have such a big pillow?'_

Quickly opening his eyes, he was shocked to the core when he saw strands of red hair sticking out from under the blanket. Instantly letting go of his hold on his 'pillow', the Substitute Shinigami instantly sat up on the bed, and his eyes were glued to the hump under his blanket as it was sitting up.

"Good morning, Ichigo," said a beautiful voice with a soft smile as a beautiful girl emerged from the blanket, a girl Ichigo knew too damn well.

Ichigo jaw-dropped at the sight and instantly went red in the face as he saw the girl in all her naked glory and he felt his boxers tighten with his growing arousal, but he didn't care. He did the only thing his mind told him to do.

He shouted.

"W-WHAT THE HELL RIAS?!"

* * *

**Well whaddaya know? I completed my 2nd chapter while my finals are still ongoing.**

**It's a good thing there was a few days interval after a couple of tests, and I used part of the interval by releasing my stress, which is pouring my all into this chapter.**

**And I have three more tests which will be held next week, and then I am completely free! Yay!**

**Well I hope you readers enjoy the new chapter.**

**Please R&amp;R. Constructive criticism is accepted.**

**The Athletic Author out. (albert27 was my original pen name, but I changed it.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and High School DxD**

* * *

**Soul Society, 1st Division Headquarters  
**

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto had never felt so peaceful before.

Ever since the Winter War ended more than two years ago, other than that brief altercation with the late Shodai Shinigami Substitute, Ginjo Kugo almost a month ago, there was nothing left but peace. Standing on the balcony of his office and enjoying the gentle breeze blowing through him as his haori fluttered along with it, appreciating the cloudless blue sky which meant a bright sunny weather and gazing out at the beautiful scenery before him, the Soutaicho hoped that no one will interrupt his moment of serenity.

...Which was broken when a messenger appeared in a Shunpo, kneeling on one knee beside him.

"Reporting, sir! The two Shinigami sent out by the 13th Division to investigate Kurosaki Ichigo's fluctuation of his reiatsu in Tokyo has returned, sir!"

No words were spoken for a few moments until Yamamoto, without switching his gaze towards the messenger, asked, "Why are you reporting me this?"

"Uh... that's because..." the messenger swallowed a lump into his throat, feeling a tad nervous before he continued, "Ukitake-taichou ordered me to send his Shinigami's findings to you, saying that Soutaicho may be familiar with the findings," And with that, the messenger took out a file from inside of his shihakusho and present it to the Soutaicho.

Yamamoto landed his gaze on the file and looked at it for a few seconds before taking it with his sole hand from the messenger's hands. "You may leave."

"Hai!" and with a bow, the messenger disappeared in a flash.

Yamamoto wondered what Ukitake found that made him think it would peak his interest. Walking towards his desk, he opened the file and spilled the contents of the file onto the desk, revealing them to be photos.

Yamamoto looked at the first photo that came to his line of vision. This photo showed three figures, two against one, standing in the middle of the night at a park while there was one more person lying on the ground. He could make out the outlines of Kurosaki Ichigo, but he couldn't identify the others since the photo was a tad too dark. The photo was taken at night after all.

He switched his gaze to the second photo and Yamamoto opened one of his eyes as he identified the one standing beside Ichigo. She was a beautiful young woman with long red, crimson hair reaching over her back and a buxom figure to boot. What's more, her face structure and her eyes was almost similar to one of his old acquaintances he met some hundred years ago. There was no mistaken who was this woman.

Both of his eyes were opened as he looked at the third photo. The photo showed a middle-aged man wearing a fedora on top of his head and wearing a trench coat. What peaked his interest was that this man has two jet black wings protruding from his back. He knew exactly where this man originated from.

"Getting involved and meddling with the affairs of the Three Factions now? You really are an interesting individual, Kurosaki Ichigo." Yamamoto said as he looked out of his balcony.

_"Speaking of the Three Factions, I wonder how Gremory-dono, Michael-dono and Azazel-dono are doing..."_

...

**Ichigo's Apartment**

Kurosaki Ichigo always thought nothing can be more bizarre while waking up in the morning than his father's annoying antics by attempting to ambush him to wake him up.

He was wrong.

He had no idea why Rias was sleeping in the same with bed with him, when she came here, and_ how the fuck_ she knew where he was staying. He didn't recall telling here where he was staying, or ever his apartment's address. What's even more bizarre was that she was sleeping without her clothes on! Did he and Rias...? He instantly shook his head at the thought. He was still wearing his boxers, and even if he did have sex with her, he couldn't remember a single detail about it.

"T-The hell are you doing on my bed, Rias?!" asked the young man, trying his best to not stare at her large breasts and pink nipples as he backed away against the headboard.

Rias smiled as she crawled her way towards the heavily blushing orange head and snuggle up against him as she closed her eyes. "I wanted to check if you were okay after I finished healing Issei's wounds last night, but when I got here you were already asleep, so I decided to join you."

The Shinigami Substitute tried to turn his obvious arousal away as he felt Rias' nipples rub against his side. "And your clothes! Why aren't you wearing any clothes?!"

The beauty rested her head on Ichigo's chest and wrapped her arms around him as she started to drift off again. "I can't sleep unless I am nude..." whispered Rias softly as her warm breath tingled his cheek.

"What kind of a reason was that?!" Ichigo roared in embarrassment as he tried to push her away from him but to no avail. Rias moaned and held onto Ichigo harder. Damn, this woman has an iron grip on him. "Don't move, you make a very comfortable pillow." whispered the girl as she delicately placed a hand on Ichigo's chest. "We still have a while before we need to get ready for school…"

Ichigo was going to retort but held back as he saw how peaceful Rias looked when she was sleeping. Sighing, he relented and slid down onto the bed from his sitting position on the headboard. To make her feel more comfortable, he shifted slightly so Rias' head was resting on his left shoulder, her face snuggling into his neck. Her left hand was on his chest and their legs were intertwined. In turn, Ichigo's left hand was on her lower back and her lightly wrapped his right arm around her waist to secure her in place.

He could feel her breasts pressing against his left side, but he didn't feel as hyped up as before, probably because he was busy focusing on her pretty face resting on his shoulder . Ichigo just smiled wryly as he thought to himself,_ "Man, this woman is going to be the death of me."_

After almost 30 minutes had passed, Rias begain to stir from her comfortable slumber. A soft yawn escaped from the red-haired woman's mouth as she opened her eyes, and found herself stare into Ichigo's brown orbs.

"So you're finally done with your beauty sleep?" Ichigo asked, his tone slightly teasing.

Rias giggled as she nodded and asked, "Is it time for school yet?"

"Almost, we have more than an hour before class starts," replied Ichigo with one of his rare smiles, making Rias' heart flutter, "Feel free to use the shower if you like to. You'll find the towels hanging on the rack to the right.

Rias shook her head. "It's okay, I'll just take one at the club later," Ichigo raised an eyebrow at that, but he refrained himself from asking. The red haired beauty then get up from the bed and walked over to Ichigo's desk where she placed her clothes and started to dress. Ichigo blushed hard when Rias bent over to put on her panties while giving him an explicit view of her womanhood, and he found covering his manhood with his hands to be increasingly difficult as he watched her cup her breasts into her bra.

"Come here..." Rias softly said as she turned her back at Ichigo, "Help me clip my bra."

"Uh, s-sure," Ichigo shook his head of his dirty thoughts, and walked over to her. "That old fart would throw a fit if he sees this..." muttered the young man as he closed Rias' bra, while desperately to suppress his obvious arousal that was threatening to poke her lower back.

"So Rias, Who- no, rather, _what_ are you? You, Akeno, Souna and a few others in the academy felt different from any ordinary human since I first arrived, and after what happened yesterday, there's no way I would keep quiet about it." Ichigo asked as he walked towards his closet and took out his folded uniform.

Rias sighed as she turned around and answered, "Well to answer your question Ichigo, I'm a Devil."

"A Devil?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "You mean those creatures with red skin and long horns, that kind of devil?"

"That's an exaggeration," Rias sweatdropped as she continued to explain, "To be honest, we're not that much different from humans. We just have powers humans do not have and we've been raised in a different society than humans." She paused, then added, "And we can live much longer than humans."

"I see, so you're a devil huh?" Ichigo rubbed his chin in thought. He had heard of them from Christian Mythology but never thought they're actually real.

"You don't seem surprised," Rias noted.

"Believe me, when you go through what I've been through it's hard to be surprised to hear stuff like that," he stated, "And I remembered that winged bastard call you an heiress of a clan or something. Are you from some kind of a royal family?"

"In a way," she said, "I am a pure-blood Devil from the Gremory Clan, one of the 34 clans remaining of the 72 pillars. The 72 Pillars are the 72 Devil clans that are what we call pure-blood devils. Devils who were born devils and not reincarnated humans. Right now, there are only 34 remaining clans of the original 72 Pillars. Though some of the clans are still alive, they no longer hold their status because they have human blood mixed with them."

"Reincarnated humans?" Ichigo wondered before a light bulb flashed above his head and asked, "So that was what you did to Hyoudou? You reincarnate him from a human to a devil?"

Rias smiled at his deduction and nodded, "You're pretty sharp."

"Well the pervert didn't felt human yesterday unlike my first day at school when I beat him up, so yeah," Ichigo shrugged it off while Rias just giggled at the insult Ichigo called her newest pawn as another question popped out in his mind, "Why did you reincarnate him though? Did something happened to him the previous day?"

Rias nodded as her face turned serious and said, "Yes, he was attacked by another Fallen Angel the previous night. He summoned me from one of my flyers and when I saw his condition, I decided to reincarnate him into my peerage."

"Flyers? Peerage?" Ichigo said as he rubbed his temples, "The more answers I get, more questions are raised. This is going to be a long day," With that he proceeded to walked towards where his bathroom. Before he entered the bathroom, he looked over towards where Rias was standing, "I'm going to take a shower. We'll talk about this on the way to school."

Rias smiled and nodded as she continued to put on her own clothes.

...

"So Shinigami are dead souls who gained power to purify hollows and help wandering souls here to pass through Soul Society, does that mean you're dead?"

"Nope, I was born with Shinigami powers. Since I'm a human with Shinigami powers, I'm known as a Substitute Shinigami."

"How does a human like you gain Shinigami powers? Did you inherit it from someone?"

"Something like that. My powers weren't awakened until I obtained it from another Shinigami."

"What happened?"

"Long story. In the past two years, I awakened my powers, then I lost them, then regained them, and lost them once again, and regained them after a long time, then lost them once again, and finally regained them."

"Sounds like you've been through alot for a high school teenager."

"You're making me feel old when you put it that way."

"Maybe I was trying to imply it that way."

"Oh shut it."

Rias giggled at Ichigo's response as the both of them were walking side by side towards the direction of their school. Before they set off to school, they took a little detour to a nearby cafe to have breakfast. From there, Rias had explained to him about the Three Factions, how she reincarnated Issei via the Evil Piece System and how the system works in a peerage, with the King piece as the leader and other pieces as servants to the King. Ichigo wasn't impressed with the term 'servant' as it sounded like the King treated the devils in the peerage as slaves, but after Rias explained that it's just a mere term and the most Kings in a peerage usually treated their servants more as friends and comrades, Ichigo cooled down.

She also told him the true purpose of the Occult Research Club, which acts as a cover for her peerage to conduct duties as a devil. From there, Ichigo easily deduced that Akeno was Rias' queen in her peerage, since she was the Vice-President of the club.

After that, it was Ichigo's turn to explain his roots. He explained to her about the Shinigami and their job, which is to help Pluses, a term for estranged human souls pass through to Soul Society and purify Hollows, monstrous-looking human souls who stayed on the human world for too long. He also explained to her about the Soul Society and the Gotei 13. After listening to his explaination, Rias finally remembered where she had heard the term before. She had read about them in some old records kept in the mansion's library when she was younger.

"You said Shinigami can't be seen by any ordinary human because they're in soul form right?" Rias asked, getting a nod of confirmation from Ichigo, "How can you eject your soul form?"

"Oh yeah speaking about that," Ichigo shoved a hand into his left pant pocket and took out a pentagonal badge with an image of a skull in the middle of it and show it to her. "This is my Substitute Shinigami Badge given to me by Ukitake-san, the 13th Division captain. It enables me to eject my soul form from my body and perform my Shinigami duties."

"I see. Care to demonstrate?"

"Sure, but not here of course." Ichigo deadpanned as he shoved his badge back into his pocket. "Wouldn't want to give people nearby a heart attack. From their point of view, it'll look like I dropped dead after I pressed my badge onto my body."

"That would be amusing to watch," Rias chuckled at that, making Ichigo letting out a chuckle of his own as they entered the school gates, which attracted instant attention from the students around them.

'OH MY GOD!" cried a random girl as a crowd gathered in front of the school. "ICHIGO-KUN IS WALKING TOGETHER WITH RIAS-ONEESAMA!"

It was an expected reaction. After all, it was never often you see the increasingly popular badass of the academy walking with one of the academy's Two Great Ladies to school. Plus, the both of them stood out like a sore thumb, with their eccentric red and orange hair colors really caught people's attention.

"They look so cute together!"

"They have been so close ever since he transferred here!"

"Doesn't Rias-senpai look a lot happier than normal, maybe they are in love!"

"Maybe they're a couple!"

The two of them just blocked out the attention around them as usual as they entered the school building and walked up the stairs to the direction where their class at. As they reached to the top end of the stairs, a new voice spoke in front of them.

"You both certainly caught a lot of attention," Ichigo and Rias looked up at the familiar female voice to see Souna Shitori leaning onto one of the pillars with a small smirk, "Good morning, Rias, Ichigo-kun."

"Yo Sona/Good morning, Sona," Ichigo and Rias replied with their respective greetings as they walked towards her.

"Oh and Sona?" Rias spoke up as Sona looked at her with a questioning gaze when Ichigo greeted her with her real name, "He knows."

Souna raised an eyebrow at that as she turned her gaze at Ichigo.

"Yeah what she said," Ichigo said, "I knew the both of you, and some students here included, were different since the first day of school judging by how your reiryoku felt, and though I'll explain later, I knew you felt that I'm not exactly normal too."

Sona just stared at him with an unreadable expression before her lips curved upwards in a small smirk and said, "Fair enough." Then she turned her focus towards her childhood friend. "And by the way, you've got a new one huh, Rias?" Sona switched her gaze towards over the railing as she looked down at the Perverted Trio who just entered the building, specifically the brown-haired boy. "It's not like you to impulsively reincarnate someone into your household."

"Is that so? " Rias has a small smile on her face, Sona looked at her with a curious look. "I guess I've gained a stupid little brother to watch over."

"Is that so…" Sona muttered before looking back at the trio.

"Oh and speaking of which," Rias spoke as she just remembered something important as she looked at Ichigo, who raised an eyebrow in response, while Souna just looked on with a curious look, "Would you mind doing me a favor, Ichigo?"

"What is it?"

"After school today, I need you to grab Issei and bring him to the Occult Research Club room," Rias told him. "I think it's time I introduce him to rest of my peerage and explain his situation to him."

"Why me?" Ichigo asked, a tad puzzled, "I mean, I'm not a part of your club."

"That's because now I'm offering you to be the secretary of the club," Rias' smile widened as she said that, throwing Ichigo off guard, "You see, I have a hunch something big is brewing for the near future. Though you haven't show your strength, I know you're quite powerful, and it would be a pleasure to have you in our club and your help in future battles. I'm not asking you a favor as the club president, but as a friend. Will you accept?"

_"And maybe, you will be the one who would save me from the contract."_

Ichigo was silent as he considered Rias' offer to be the secretary of the club. After much thinking, he decided what he was going to do. He sighed, "Man, it's going to be troublesome and a pain in the ass," Rias cheery facade faltered slightly and looked down as he said that, thinking he was going to reject her.

"But," Rias instantly looked up to see a smirk on Ichigo's face, "After witnessing everything that had happened in the last few days, there's no way I'll be fine standing in the sidelines. So I might as well take you up on that offer." He then looked down at the brown-haired pervert who was playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with his two best friends, "And as the secretary of the club, my first task is to bring the pervert to the clubroom after school today."

...

Issei groaned as the last day of class ended. Nothing seemed to be going right for the young pervert whose only real desire was to see a pair of real life oppai. Ever since he got stabbed by Yuuma-chan, his life had been confusing and weird for him.

It got even worse the previous night, and he had no clue what was going on. The only thing he remembered was he got stabbed once more by another black-winged weirdo and he was saved by Ichigo-senpai. This morning, he had woken up in his bed, the wound on his chest completely healed as if it had never happened. Did Ichigo-senpai healed him? What's more, he was feeling inexplicably tired for some reason, not to mention confused and worried. Issei couldn't help but feel like he was slowly going insane.

And not even once he thought about perverted stuff or maybe peek into the Female Kendo Club's changing room to satisfy his desires. And that's very worrying. When Issei Hyoudou, an incredibly lustful male teenager who has high infactuation towards oppai, wasn't thinking anything perverted, you know something was wrong.

His thoughts were broken as the girls in his class started to squeal in delight and gathered around the entrance of his class. Curiosity got the better of him as he took a look at the entrance to see what was going on. He was a little surprised to see Ichigo-senpai entering his class and was walking towards him with his usual scowl in place.

"Yo Hyoudou." Ichigo coolly greeted as he halted his step beside Issei's desk.

"Ichigo-senpai?" Issei asked, his voice couldn't hide his surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Rias wants to speak with you," Ichigo just replied, making Issei's eyes widen, "So pack your stuff and get up. I'm escorting you to the clubroom."

Issei gave his senpai a look before he stood up with a sigh. "Sure…"

"What?!" cried a random girl in the class, "Impossible! Ichigo-kun and Hyoudou the Pervert?!"

Another girl shook her head violently as she cried out in desperation. "Don't hang out with that pervert, Ichigo-kun! He'll corrupt you!"

Issei grunted in annoyance and walked out with Ichigo-senpai in front of him. "They are just spouting nonsense…"

"Not exactly," Ichigo looked over his shoulder at Issei with a smirk as he continued, "You being a pervert is true after all."

"S-Shut up!"

...

"So Ichigo-kun's a Shinigami?" one Himejima Akeno asked rhetorically after Rias told her about Ichigo's powers, "Does he know our true nature?"

Rias sighed as she stood in her shower and let the hot water run down her body. "Yes he does. I told him after what heppened last night. We were careless last night, making Issei wandering alone in the darkness. Last night, he got attacked by another Fallen Angel." That information surprised Akeno slightly as Rias continued, "He survived the first light spear that was pierced into his stomach, but Ichigo made it in time to save him from the second light spear. If he wasn't there, Issei would not have lived. And that's why I'll be forever grateful to him."

Akeno sat down on a chair next to the shower with her legs crossed as she asked, "I see. So what your plan regarding Ichigo-kun, Buchou? Will you reincarnate him into your peerage?"

"Even if I do want him in my peerage, I don't think my remaining pieces are powerful enough to reincarnate him due to his enormous power within him, so I offered him to be the secretary of our club and he accepted," The club president stated from within her shower. "He's powerful Akeno. Remember when I told you his power felt on par with a High-Class Devil when we first met him? However, in his Shinigami form, even though I didn't truly saw him in action, the power I felt from him are off the charts. Even though he may not be a part of our peerage, I'm glad we gained such a powerful ally into our club."

"Interesting…" muttered Akeno as she delicately held her hands to her face, a hint of arousal showing on her face. "I wonder how powerful he is. Maybe I should test him _personally__, _ufufufu."

Her dirty sadistic thoughts were broken as a series of knocking on the door of the clubroom and she stood to greet the people at the door. The door opened and came in Ichigo into the clubroom followed by a confused Issei behind him, both looking around the gothic style room with interest. But while Ichigo was thinking how weird and creepy the decor was, Issei was staring at the cute white haired girl sitting the couch, and the gently beauty standing in front of them.

"Oh Ichigo-senpai, you're here as well?" Ichigo turned to the direction to where he was called out and saw a smiling Kiba Yuuto get up from the couch he sat across Koneko and walked towards him, "Rias-buchou told us we would be expecting two newcomers in our club. I expected one to be Issei-san, but I wasn't expecting you to be the other."

"Well surprise surprise, Kiba," Ichigo just replied with a smirk, which then changed into a look of curiosity as he asked, "Speaking of which, where's Rias?" He then looked around the clubroom and noticed there were white curtains covering one of the rooms. Hearing the sounds of the showers running, he instantly realized with a blush that room was the shower. He could saw a buxom female silhouette clearly through the curtains, and his blush intensified when he recalled their conversation in his apartment. The person that was showering in the shower was-

"RIAS-SENPAI?! I KNEW IT!" Issei shouted with delight as he watched the silhouette showering with a disgustingly perverted expression on his face, "That beautiful silhouette! This is true art! Those beautiful lines are a work or art in and of themselves! What a fanta-GAH!"

Which was stopped when he received a hard punch on the head, courtesy of Ichigo.

"Keep those perverted thoughts to yourself, you lecher!" Ichigo roared.

"Hai! I'm sorry!" Issei cried in fear as he held his throbbing head.

"Ara ara Ichigo-kun, I think you just broke his head," Akeno amusedly stated as she walked towards them and bowed with her usual smile, "Since the both of you are new members of the club, let me introduce myself. My name is Himejima Akeno, the vice-president of the club." And then she gestured to the white-haired girl on the couch, "This is Toujou Koneko, a first year student."

Issei had blush on his face as he rubbed the back of his head and bowed to the girls. "I-I'm Hyoudou Issei. Nice to meet you all!"

Ichigo had never been one for etiquette, so he just nodded with his usual scowl. "Kurosaki Ichigo, the new secretary of the club. Please take care of me."

Koneko, as her response towards the two, just nodded silently.

"Eh?" Kiba said with surprise seeping in his voice, "Ichigo-senpai is our new secretary?"

"I will explain later," A melodic voice spoke from the shower as the shower curtain was pulled to the side and revealed a fresh Rias Gremory in her school uniform. The beauty's hair was still wet, so she held a towel in her hand and gently ran it through her crimson strands.

After everyone took their seats, save for Rias who was leaning on her desk table and Ichigo who was leaning on the couch's arm rest at Issei's side, Rias spoke with a bright smile on her face, "Now that everyone is here, I would like to officially welcome you both to the Occult Research Club! But the Occult Research Club is just a mere facade. Nothing more than a hobby…"

Issei looked up blankly. "What do you mean?"

Rias smirked as she looked at Issei. "I'll be frank here. Other than Ichigo, we're all devils."

...And the silence commence.

Issei could only sit there, staring at her blankly after what he had just been told. "Th-That was indeed very frank. And What do you mean by 'other than Ichigo'? What is he then?"

All the stares went directly at Ichigo as he sighed and said, "I'm not a devil, but rest assured I am not exactly normal either. I'll explain later. Listen to what Rias wants to say first, Hyoudou."

Issei just dumbly nodded as he switched his focus towards Rias, which was hard to do because he was distracted by her large breasts, "Do you remember the black-winged man from last night? He was a Fallen Angel." Issei's eyes widened in response as Rias continued, "Once Angels serving God, they have been cast down to the underworld because of their wicked nature. These Fallen Angels try to manipulate humans and kill us devils. This is a conflict that has been brewing since ancient times, a war to decide who will rule the underworld, or Hell as humans called it. We also have real Angels sent by God himself to destroy us. In other words, we have a three-way-standoff."

No one notice Ichigo flinched as he heard the word 'Hell'.

Issei meanwhile just listened with his mind completely blank, not understanding a single thing.

"Do you follow me so far?" Rias asked.

"Uh… All this stuff about Devils and Angel, to a stupid high school teenager like me, it's a little too complicated for me…" Issei started to get a little nervous at this point as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Amano Yuuma." That caught Issei's attention in less than a second, letting out a small gasp as he looked at Rias in shock. "It's good you still remember her clearly, after all you did date her."

"I-I've no idea where you've heard of that name." Issei said with gritted teeth, still thinking about the date he had gone with the girl. "But don't treat is as a occult phenomenon. To be frank, I find it unpleasant. I'm sorry, but…" The brunette tried to stood up from his seat but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him from doing so. He looked up to stare straight into Ichigo's brown eyes, who was giving him a stern look.

"I did say that you have to listen to what Rias wants to tell you, Hyoudou," Ichigo said to him, "You may want to run away from your trauma, but nothing will come good from it, nothing will be solved. '_Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stand still. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate.'" _Issei went wide eyed while others just looked on with interest as he said that. Who knew Ichigo can be so deep? "So stay and listen to what she wants to say. It may help you in the future."

Issei just looked at him with surprise. He always thought Ichigo-senpai was scary as fuck, but he never thought he would see this compassionate side of his. Begrudgingly and reluctantly, Issei sat back on the couch.

Rias smiled at the scene and was impressed with Ichigo's words of wisdom as she pulled out a picture from the desk behind her before tossing it onto the table between the couches.

"Your Yuuma-chan… is this girl right?" Rias asked, to Issei's shock.

"Y-Yes it's her! But where did you get this photo?!" Issei asked, a look of disbelief on his face as he stared at the photo.

"This girl...no, this _fallen angel. _She came from the same faction that assaulted you last night." Rias stated.

"B-But Matsuda and Motohama didn't remember anything about her!" Issei retorted as he stood up from his seat, "I clearly remembered I introduced her to them last week!"

"After a Fallen Angel completes her mission, she used her powers to erase everyone else's memory and all records regarding her," the president explained. "That was what your Yuuma-chan did."

"Mission? What mission?"

"Killing you." Rias simply stated, "She came to check whether you have a certain dangerous object in your body. Once that was confirmed, she killed you instantly. Impaled by a light spear to be precise."

"Now I remember," Issei said with seriousness as he recall what happened that night at the fountain, "I remembered Yuuma-chan talked about Sa-something or whatever it is."

"What she said is Sacred Gear," Rias told him calmly.

"Sacred Gears are basically artifacts given to humans by the original God from the bible to enact miracles on earth. Only humans or human hybrids are born with Sacred Gears, though they can show up within the ranks of devils and angels if the human possessing the Sacred Gear is turned." Akeno explained.

"Issei, you have a Sacred Gear within your body," Rias told him bluntly as she pointed at him, "A very powerful one if I'm not mistaken, which is the reason that Fallen Angel tried to kill you. Most likely, she was ordered to by the hire ups who feared whatever Sacred Gear you possess. We won't know what is your Sacred Gear without seeing it, so Issei?"

"Hai?"

"Please raise your left hand."

Issei just did what she instructed, "L-Like this?"

Rias proceeded to sat up on her desk table, which gave Issei a flash of her panties, and gave him her advice as she said, "Now close your eyes and imagine the strongest being that comes to mind."

Issei was too distracted as he was enjoying the beautiful scenery and absentmindedly answered, "T-This is all too sudden..."

"Focus, Issei."

"H-Hai!" and with that, Issei closed his eyes and tried to focus.

Keyword 'tried'.

That was because he couldn't resist opening his eyes and get an eyeful of Rias' panties.

"Yes, Issei, focus," Rias was oblivious to what was happening as she continued to push him on as he tried to focus.

Shaking his head to remove the perverted thoughts out of his head, Issei closed his eyes once again and tried to focus, "Focus...focus..." and of course, as expected, Issei opened his eyes once again and take another peek at Rias' panties. Currently, rather than focusing to activate his Sacred Gear, he was focusing to look more deeper into the crimson-haired beauty's panties.

And that was why he gave up on activating his Sacred Gear.

"Argh! I can't do it!" Issei dejectedly said as he sunk onto his knees.

"It's all right, Issei," Rias tried to cheer him up, "We'll take it slow."

"Idiot, that's not how you do it," Everyone turned their attention towards the orange-haired secretary as he started to speak, "Your focus was all over the place and you were easily distracted. Do you think I didn't caught what you were actually doing, you pervert."

"S-Shut up!" Issei stood up immediately and pointed at Ichigo as he continued, "How could I focus properly when her panties' were right in front of me begging to be admired?!"

Ichigo just ran a hand over his spiky orange locks and sighed as he stood up and said, "Well anyway, let's do this my way. Hyoudou, close your eyes and do _not _open them."

Issei did what he instructed and resisted the urge to open his eyes. He then heard Ichigo speak again, "That's good, now take a few deep breaths, inhale and exhale uniformly." The brown-haired pervert followed his instructions and to his amazement, he felt more relaxed and more calmer as he continued to breath deeply. "Now relax and focus on each of your body parts one by one. Now start with your stomach."

Issei relaxed into his breathing and focused on his stomach as he tried to feel something there, but he didn't. Ichigo crossed his arms as he continued to guide the pervert, "There would be a tugging sensation when you finally felt it. If you did, mentally call forth upon your power and pull it out. If you didn't felt it after a while, focus on your next body part."

After feeling nothing on his stomach, he gave up and place his full focus on his left arm. After much focus, like what Ichigo-senpai just said, he felt a tugging sensation on his left arm. Scrunching his eyes, he mentally call forth upon his power and and tried to pull it out with all his mental might.

And he succeeded.

In an instant, a bright light shone around the clubroom, originating from Issei's left arm. As the light died down, Ichigo looked at Issei's left arm, and raised a curious eyebrow when he saw the thing that had appeared on his arm. It looked like a red, fingerless gauntlet with yellow accents and a green jewel on top of the back of Issei's hand.

Rias was impressed at how Ichigo taught Issei on how to draw out his power, as if he had experience teaching others, or maybe had gone through the same experience. Either way, she was getting more and more attracted to the orange-haired Shinigami, "Thank you for your help, Ichigo." she said with a bright smile, which was replied with a small smirk and a nod from Ichigo. She then switched her focus on her newest pawn, "And by the way, Issei, that's your Sacred Gear."

"Amazing!" Issei marveled at his gauntlet-covered hand. "This looks awesome!"

"It's a fact the Fallen Angel fear your power. That's why they wanted you dead."

"Eh? But wait," Issei looked over at Rias. "If it's a fact, then how am I actually alive?"

"Just as you were about to take your last breath, you summoned me through this flyer," Rias answered before he could finish his question and showed him a flyer with a pentagram at the centre. Issei gasped at the sight. He remembered that time when he was dying, he saw a glimpse of Rias-senpai's red hair. "And when I saw your condition, including the fact that you have a Sacred Gear, I reincarnate you into my peerage."

"W-What do you mean by that?" Issei asked.

"Issei, you've been reborn into the family of Rias Gremory," the president proudly stated as wings sprouted from her back, "Daughter of Duke Gremory, a High-Class Devil, as my servant devil."

"Indeed," this time, it was Akeno who spoke as everyone stood up, "We're the same as you." And with that, wings sprouted from her, Kiba's and Koneko's back, to the shock of Issei and Ichigo, whose eyes were wide as he watched Issei's wings sprouted from his back as well.

"Welcome to the family, Issei," Rias welcomed Issei with a small smile.

Issei looked so troubled by the fact that he wasn't human anymore. He thought stuffs like devils and servant were just an analogy. He never thought they would meant it literally. He looked back and forth between his wings and the others. _'So I'm a Devil now? I'm no longer human?!'_

"Seeing you guys having wings while I've none made me feel a little left out y'know." Ichigo said in an amused tone as he looked back and forth at all the members.

"Well since we've already revealed ourselves as Devils, it would be unfair if you don't reveal yourself, Ichigo." Rias gave him a coy look as she replied him.

Ichigo just stared at her with an unreadable expression before he just sighed and gave her a small smile, "Guess it can't be helped huh?" He then proceeded to shoved his hand into his left pant pocket and took out a pentagonal badge, which made everyone save for Rias became curious and slightly alert at what he was going to do.

"You see, unlike you guys, I'm human, but like you, I'm not exactly normal like you. Let me show you guys why," He then pressed the badge onto his chest and he was ejected from his body. While the body of Ichigo lay motionless on the ground, the soul form of Ichigo was standing and looked totally different. He now wore a black kimono and hakama pants with a white obi tied around his waist and a red strap across his right shoulder. There were also X-like black markings on his chest and forearms, and tattoo-like bands with white ends lie around his neck as collar. What attracted the most attention from the club members was the huge cleaver hanging behind his back.

There were five reactions to his soul form.

Rias simply smiled at him.

Akeno was in a state of bliss.

Kiba was looking at the sword with interest.

Koneko was stoic as usual.

Issei was in a state of shock.

And they realized the air around them in the clubroom was heavier than before.

"Let me introduce myself once again. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, Shinigami Substitute."

* * *

**And done! That's the 3rd chapter, typed right after my finals ended.**

**Speaking of which, woohoo! Finals are finally done and dusted! Ahh the smell of freedom...**

**And regarding the story, I don't want to reveal too much as I could spoil the story, but one thing's clear that there would be no Vandenreich bullshit in this story.**

**Regarding Ichigo's harem, it depends on how the story progresses. Hence the word 'possible'. Rias and Akeno are definitely in it though.  
**

**Of course, Ichigo will become more stronger as the story progresses. How? I won't say anything, as like I said before, I don't want to reveal any spoilers, but the idea in my mind I guarantee NO ONE has tried before in any Bleach x DxD crossovers.**

**Please R&amp;R. Constructive criticism is accepted.**

**The Athletic Author out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and High School DxD**

* * *

**Timeskip next morning, Ichigo's apartment**

Kurosaki Ichigo groaned as the sunlight broke through the window and hit him in the face. He opened his eyes and rubbed off the drowsiness in his eyes with both hands, all the while cursing at the curtains for not doing their job properly at blocking the sunlight.

Feeling a little lazy to get up from bed, he recalled the events that happened yesterday. It was quite amusing to see Issei struggling to get a grip on this Devil stuff. Turns out that a new reincarnated Devil's first job is to hand out summoning flyers. Issei did that pretty well, until the moment when Koneko received two summons, so he was tasked to take over one of hers. What was most amusing that he couldn't jump to the summoner via Rias' Teleportation Circle due to having zero magic power and had to ride a bike to where he was summoned. What's more, he failed to form a contract with the summoner. Oh that look of dejection on his face when he came back to the clubroom.

Well he can't blame him for screwing up. He was suddenly thrown into this kind of life without any supernatural knowledge after all. Ichigo knew it won't be long before he finally gets used to it.

Before that, it was quite a pain explaining to the Occult Research Club about the Shinigami and how he become one, all the while leaving out quite a number of details, especially that his crazy ass dad was a Shinigami too. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, it was just that he wasn't ready to openly tell them everything.

And he bet he explained all of that better than that midget Rukia with her crappy Chappy drawings.

And oddly so, after revealing his Shinigami form, Akeno was acting very differently towards him, as if she was more... seductive.

Shaking the dirty thoughts out of his head, his mind wandered to why he accepted the offer to be the secretary of their club. Usually he would just downright reject her offer for all he care and tell him to leave him alone since it was a bother but when something weird happens around him, weirder stuff or something big will happen in the future. It was like a never-ending cycle. Even if he rejected her in the first place, he bet she would endlessly pester him join anyway. So he accepted the offer just to get it over with.

Plus, he knew from the start that the Occult Research Club wasn't like how it looks like from the outside. When you have Rias Gremory and Himejima Akeno, whose reiryoku didn't felt normal, were President and Vice-President of the club, he knew something was up.

And then there was the Underworld, or Hell as humans called it, where Devils reside. The strawberry did well to hide his surprise when Rias explained this particular fact to Issei. Just that one word 'Hell' alone gave him a ton of flashbacks of what happened the first time he 'visited' there. He hoped that the next time he went there again, it will be a... less destructive visit.

"I wonder what Hell looks like now?"

"I could give you a detailed description if you like."

"GAH!" Ichigo shouted in utmost shock as he uncremoniously fell onto the floor from the edge of the bed. He sat up and jaw-dropped as his eyes were glued to the hump under his blanket that he didn't notice before as it was sitting up. He blushed like a tomato as the blanket slid down from the hump to reveal a beautiful and _naked_ Rias as she yawned widely and raised a single hand to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Wh-Wha..." Ichigo was so stunned as he just pointed at Rias, unable to speak due to the shock.

"Good morning, Ichigo." Rias greeted with a beautiful smile as she looked down at Ichigo, "Why are you down there on the floor?"

"THAT'S NOT A QUESTION YOU SHOULD ASK!" the strawberry roared in embarrasment with a blush on his face as he abruptly stood up and pointed at her, "Care to tell me why you're in my bed?! _Again?!"_

After she registered his words and the tone he used, Rias slightly faltered as she spoke, "I had trouble sleeping on my own," she admitted, causing Ichigo to look at her oddly. "Normally I could sleep well on my own, but for some reason yesterday I just couldn't get a good night sleep. I suppose you could say I was feeling restless."

Ichigo could just blink as as he tried to work through what she said, but then Rias smiled as she continued to speak, "Then I remembered how easy it was to fall asleep next to you. You were so warm and cozy, I just couldn't help myself."

The strawberry could only rub his trobbing temples in response as he groaned in annoyance. This girl was even worse than Rangiku or even Yoruichi, especially when she could just sit there innocently without even caring or even embarrassed that she was sleeping with him _naked_. He may not be a pervert, but he was a hot-blooded hormonal teenager dammit!

"Does it bother you that much?"

Ichigo made the mistake of looking at Rias when she asked him that question. She usually gave her the puppy-eyed look to tease him back at school, which he had grown used to it due to Yuzu. But currently, she was giving him another look that made Ichigo feeling hot and bothered inside as he swallowed a lump into his throat.

The first thing he noticed was the way her hair fell down around her face. It gave the gorgeous red head a strange aura, a combination of innocence and mystery that entranced all who laid eyes on her. Her bangs fell about her face, hovering around and over her eyes.

Which were the next two things he noticed. He had been curious with those eyes the first day they met due to their unique color. Right now those eyes had narrowed into a look that was somehow both remorseful and seductive.

It may have had something to do with that sad frown on those beautiful, pink lips, which was the third thing he noticed.

Or maybe it just had something to do with her still being naked and all.

"N-No of course not! Wait I mean _yes_!" Ichigo sputtered as he waved his hands in front of his face, as if attempting to ward off the look she was giving him. He could feel his arousal starting to come back as he continued, "I mean look at you! Not even caring that you, a woman, are naked in front of me, a _man_! What if I did something bad to you?!"

"But you're not that kind of a person right?" Before he knew it, the crimson-haired beauty was standing in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her large bust on his chest.

"Of course not!" Ichigo retorted as he tried to lean away from her embrace, "I'm a man of morals!"

"Are you uncomfortable with me sleeping with you?" Rias asked sultrily, her eyes getting a little more narrower as she pressed more onto Ichigo's chest.

"No no! It felt nice actually. W-Wait what the hell am I saying?!" Ichigo flushed deeper at his slip up as he managed to wiggle out of her embrace and quickly grabbed a pair of sweatpants from his wardrobe before bolting towards the door, "I'm gonna cook breakfast, so go and take a freaking shower while waiting!" And with that, he slammed the door shut.

Rias just giggled at his antics as she entered the bathroom to take a shower. Boy he was so easy to tease. She enjoyed the reactions she got from him when she do so. Who would have thought Kurosaki Ichigo looked like a delinquent on the outside, but pure and innocent on the inside.

...

"You're quite a good cook Ichigo. I'm surprised!" happily said Rias as she smiled over at the orange head. The both of them were now walking side by side towards their school after having their breakfast courtesy of Ichigo's cooking.

Ichigo just shrugged as he adjusted his backpack over one shoulder. "Well when you have a younger sister that knows how to cook, you're bound to learn a few stuff here and there."

"You have a younger sister?" Rias asked, one of her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Two in fact, they're fratenal twins. They're currently in middle school," Ichigo stated with a smile as he took out his wallet from his pant pocket and took out a photo, showing it to Rias as she took it from his hands. The photo showed Ichigo standing between two unfamiliar girls that are obviously younger than him judging by their height, "The one with the brown hair is Yuzu. She's the one who handles all the housework. Sweet yet very hardworking girl. The one with the black hair is Karin. She's one tough cookie alright. You could mistaken her for a boy if you don't really know her. Loves football like it's her life. What a tomboy."

Rias giggled in amusement at his description of his twin sisters as she returned the photo to him and asked, "Do they have powers like you?"

"Not exactly," Ichigo stated as he placed the photo back into his wallet and into his pant pocket, "Yuzu can feel the presence of spirits, but she can't see them. Karin is another story. Unlike Yuzu, she is capable of seeing spirits. She even have powers of her own. From what I've heard, she had killed a few low-level hollows during the time I lost my powers. And then there's my dad."

Rias looked up at him at the mentioning of his dad to see the orange head looking up at the sky in melancholy, "That old fart is one pain in the ass at home. Never fails to piss me off with him annoying antics. Sometimes I wonder whether he was a child in an adult's body." Flashbacks of his dad ambushing him before he woke up or when he came back home from school occurred in his mind as he snorted, "With that personality of his, it's hard to believe he was a former captain in the Gotei 13."

"Your father was a Shinigami?" Rias enquired with slight surprise.

"Yeah, I can understand why you're surprised. I was surprised myself. I mean, he was one childish bastard, sometimes it makes me wonder why the Soutaicho appointed him as captain," Ichigo mused, "And that's pretty much about my family."

Rias smiled at that, until she realized he forgot to mention one more person in his family, "What about your mother?"

Ichigo flinched at the mention of his mother, and at that moment, Rias realized why he never talked about his mother.

"Sorry," she mumbled softly. Of course he didn't spoke about his mother. How rude and inconsiderate it was of her to ask something like that. She looked down onto the pavement in shame with guilt setting in, "I didn't mean to bring that up."

"Nah It's fine," Ichigo blew out a deep breath. She looked up at him and saw him looking back with a very small, understanding smile. "You're curious, that's all. I don't blame you for that, and I don't mind telling you a little about her either."

The Shinigami then looked up at the bright blue sky and took a deep breath before he spoke again, "She died when I was 9 years old, protecting me from Grand Fisher, a hollow," Ichigo informed her, "That time, I wasn't able to distinguish between humans and ghosts, so one night, there was this girl trying to fall into a river. I ran to save her, unaware that it was a bait by Grand Fisher. That was where mom came into the picture." His smile softened as he recalled the happy memories with his mother before her tragic death, "After that, I kept blaming myself for her death. If it wasn't for me, if I didn't try to save the 'girl', she would have lived. But as time goes by, I realized that blaming myself is futile, because if I do so, if we ever meet again, I know she will gave me a lecture for being a brooding jerk. Instead, I'm grateful that she protected me so I could live on."

"That's a mature way of looking at things," Rias said, smiling a bit herself.

"Maybe so," Ichigo simply said before he released a small chuckle, "Oh come on, enough with the depressing talk. Now it's my turn to know more about you and your family."

Rias smiled before she wrapped her arms around Ichigo's free arm and rested her head on his shoulder, making him blush a little. "Well, my Father is the head of the Gremory Family, and my Mother is married into our family from the Bael Family, another high class devil family of the Underworld." Ichigo nodded at the information as she continued, "I have an older brother, and he is the Demon Lord of the Underworld. His name is Sirzechs Lucifer."

"Demon Lord?" Ichigo repeated as he gave her a questioning look, "Does that title means he's the leader of the Underworld?"

Rias smiled and nodded against his shoulder. "Yes, Onii-sama is very powerful, and is the leader of the Four Satans of the Underworld."

Ichigo whistled in awe as he joked, "Is that so? Remind me not to get into his bad side."

Rias let out a melodic laugh as she answered, "Don't worry, even though he may be the leader of the Underworld, he is still my idiot of a brother. Seriously, one moment he was as mature as a leader. The next he could act as stupid as a little child."

Ichigo chuckled to himself with a grin on his face, "Well looks like the both of us have a family member who is insanely powerful yet a total idiot at the same time."

"Now that you mentioned it, you're right," Rias giggled in return as she tightened her hold around Ichigo's arm and closed her eyes, "And that is pretty much who Rias Gremory is..."

Ichigo just looked at he with a blank expression before his lips curled into a small smile, "Not really, I also know that Rias Gremory is a girl who loves strawberry jam," he stated as he recalled Rias having toast at his home just now. "Someone who until today, never had cereal before," He recalled Rias' questioning look when he took out a box of cereal from the kitchen cabinet in his apartment, "And someone who always ties her right shoe laces before she even puts on the other shoe," He recalled the moment before the two of them left Ichigo's apartment yesterday and today. The Shinigami looked down to see a surprised look on the crimson-haired beauty's face. "She is a regular girl who goes to the same school and the same class as me, and not some Princess of a noble family."

If Rias had feelings for the orange head beforehand, those feelings have grown a lot deeper. The beauty had never met anyone like Ichigo before, someone who was so selfless and righteous, someone who cared so much about others, and someone who saw pass her external identity as the Gremory Heiress and acknowledged her existence as Rias. She never thought that she would run into such a great man by chance. Rias was very happy to finally have someone like Ichigo in her life.

She made a mental note to thank fate for transferring him into her school.

"Is anything on my face? You've been staring at me funny," her thoughts were broken as she heard Ichigo spoke, only to meet into his questioning gaze. It was then she realized she had been staring at him for quite a long time.

"I-It's nothing," Rias stuttered as she blushed as deep as the colour of her hair and averted his gaze. Usually she was the one who get reactions from other people, but now she got to taste her own medicine. Never once in her life until now she met someone that could make her heart flutter and blush like a lovesick girl. It was uncharacteristic of her.

Meanwhile, the strawberry Shinigami just looked at her with a confused expression. Had he said something wrong? Well whatever he thought, he just shrugged it off as they continued to walk towards their school in a comfortable silence... well for Ichigo that is.

...

"Issei, I forbid you from going near the Church ever again."

The moment Ichigo heard these words as he neared the doors to the Occult Research Clubroom, he knew something was up.

Deciding not to interrupt to their conversation, the orange head leaned up against the wall right next to the door so he could listen in. From the tone she used, it sounded like Issei had done something wrong.

"Churches are hostile territory to us devils," Rias continued. Ichigo could almost imagine her standing behind her desk, her hands pressed flat against its surface as she looked at Issei with a combination of exasperation, concern and disappointment. "You'll initiate fights between God and us devils just by taking a single step in there. And you don't know when _those _guys will throw light spears at your heart."

Ah that explained it, he guessed that maybe Issei got near to a church and something bad happened, so he informed her about it. Hence the current situation.

His guess was far off from what actually happened in reality, but not entirely wrong. Nothing bad happened but Issei felt something bad when he was with Asia and when he got near the church Asia was transferred to. But Ichigo didn't know that.

"S-Seriously?" he heard Issei spoke, "Then that creepy feeling earlier when I got near the church was…"

"That was most likely your demonic instincts warning you of danger." the beauty stated, "Staying around someone from the church is inviting death. Especially since some of the Church's exorcists are also blessed with the power of Sacred Gears."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at that. That was interesting to know.

"Issei?"

"Y-Yes?"

"To exorcise a devil means to annihilate him completely." Rias spoke with utmost seriousness, "If a Devil were to be hit by their divine powers, he or she will turn into nothingness. You turn into nothing. You feel nothing. You can do nothing. Do you know how's that like?"

Ichigo raised another eyebrow as he heard that. The causes when exorcists kill devils sounded eerily similar to when Quincies kill hollows. Quincy are the polar opposite of Shinigami. The Shinigami purify Hollows with their Zanpakutō and send them to Soul Society, but unlike them, the Quincy comepletely annhiliate hollows without leaving a single trace.

Ugh, those boring lectures by Urahara-san and Ishida, he wondered how he was able to remember all that.

Meanwhile in the clubroom, Issei did not say anything. Even so, Ichigo could still imagine the perverted boy shrinking in on himself, feeling depressed as he got another lecture by the president of the club for his wrongdoing.

Even so, the Substitute Shingami simply smiled as he recalled the worry in her voice. Even though her words may sound harsh, he knew it was just because she did not want to see Issei get hurt.

She really was a good person, caring for those in her peerage as if they were a part of her family.

"Ara, ara," a familiar voice said in his ear. Ichigo sighed as he realized his spying time was up. He pushed against the wall and straighten up as he turned his head towards the direction of the voice to see Akeno standing beside him, "What are you doing, Ichigo-kun?"

"Just waiting for Rias to finish lecturing Issei, Akeno."

"And listening in on their conversation, right?" Akeno asked slyly. Ichigo shrugged, not at all bothered that she knew he was spying on them. It wasn't like what he was doing was harmful.

"Something like that."

"Ara ara, that was not a good thing to do. You've been a bad boy, Ichigo-kun," Before he could react, Ichigo gasped in surprise as he was suddenly pushed and pinned onto the wall by the black-haired beauty, her bountiful mounds were pressing against his chest and her left thigh was placed in between his legs. She spoke again in a sultry tone which made Ichigo felt hot inside, "And bad boys must be punished, ufufufu..."

Ichigo felt his heart pound forcefully against his chest as gallons of blood rushed through his face in this situation, "W-What the hell, Akeno?!"

Akeno's gave him what seemed to be a seductive frown as she placed a hand on Ichigo's cheek and inched closer to his face, "You've been spending so much time with Rias, all the while neglecting me. Do you know how jealous I was?" Ichigo could feel her breath tickling his lips as she looked directly into his eyes, "Ah I know, your punishment for eavesdropping on Buchou is to go on a date with me, how does that sound?"

Ichigo's mind were running a million miles per hour as he tried to back away but unable to due to the wall he was pressed against on, "W-Well..."

"Ichigo…" said a stern voice as Ichigo saw Rias at the corner of his eye looking at him with her arms crossed while standing at the opened door of the clubroom, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" cried Ichigo loudly as he pushed Akeno away from him and pointed an accusing finger at her as he roared in embarrassment, "She started it!"

Akeno had a sweet smile on her face as she placed a hand on her cheek. "Ara ara, you are such a cute guy, Ichigo-kun!" exclaimed the black haired beauty with her soft and seductive voice.

Rias looked annoyed as she switched her attention towards the club's Vice-President, "And you Akeno. I thought you went back home already?"

Upon hearing that, Akeno's expression morphed into utmost seriousness as she spoke, "I got a message from the archduke. Apparently, there is a Stray Devil wandering in this town."

Ichigo watched as Rias' expression morphed from its annoyed expression to a much more serious one. He raised an curious eyebrow, it sounded like this Stray Devil was dangerous and needs to be dealt with ASAP.

He had no idea how right he was.

...

**Timeskip, night time.**

_"What a pain," _Ichigo mentally growled as he Shunpo'ed his way towards where Rias was supposed to teleport to. Turns out that only her peerage can jump with her in the Teleportation Circle, so he had to make do with his Shunpo and arrive at the location as fast as possible. As he finally arrived at the location, he found himself staring directly at a abandoned mansion. The full moon was out, its moonbeams shining down upon them and casting an eerie glow on the abandoned mansion they stood in front of.

"That was quick," Kiba noted with slightly wide eyes as he watched Ichigo arrived beside him.

"I run fast," Ichigo simply said as he walked up to beside Rias. "So what is a Stray Devil?" he asked.

Rias looked over at the tall man with her arms crossed. "Stray Devils are devils that used to be servants to another devil. Sometimes Devils will betray or kill their masters so they can live doing whatever they please." The beauty looked ahead at the old building. "This one in particular had been very active, and I was told that it would lure humans into the building and eat them alive."

"Eat them?!" cried Issei in shock.

Akeno nodded in confirmation as they made their way towards the mansion, "The archduke sent us a mission a while ago to bring it down."

"You shall see the utter monstrosity of the Stray Devil stemming from the abuse of demonic power and being without a master," Kiba informed them as he opened the door for the rest of the group to enter the building. The interior of the building resembled some battered ruins out of a movie. The only source of light was the moon seeping in from the large opening at the entrance of the building, where a large double door was spread open. The eerie white light of the moon made the scene all the more creepy and paranormal, especially when the astrayed furniture of the place casted shadows of strange shapes on the pale walls that enveloped the group.

"Issei?"

"Y-Yes Buchou?"

"Have you ever heard of Chess before?" Rias asked, never taking her eyes of what was in front of her.

"Chess? You mean the checkered board game?" Issei rhetorically asked.

"The one and only," Rias said, "I, the master, am the King. There's the Queen, the Knights, the Bishops, the Rooks, and the Pawns. Each piece has its own trait, and in response to that, gives a servant Devil different abilities depending on which piece they receive." Rias explained as the group came to a stop. "This is known as the Evil Piece System. It was through this method that I reincarnated you as a Devil."

"So I became a Devil through one of these Evil Pieces," Issei muttered to himself, before looking at his King. "But why did you want me to learn about it?"

"Anyway, I want you to pay close attention tonight. Tonight you'll understand just how Devils fight their battles and what you can expect to be involved with in the future." Rias replied, to which Issei nodded his head in understanding.

"The same goes for you too, Ichigo," the beauty said as she directed her attention towards the Shinigami, "Just kick back and watch us devils fight. I want to show you what we're made of."

"Fine by me. I'm curious of what you guys made of as well." Ichigo responded with a small smirk.

"It's here," Koneko suddenly warned with her usual monotone but with a slight edge. And with that, all sense of humor were thrown out of the window as everyone was on guard.

"I smell something disgusting nearby," said a oddly vibrating voice as a long shadow emerged from the corner on the far end of the building. "Yet at the same time, there is also something that smells so delicious!" As it fully revealed itself under the light, Ichigo couldn't help but blanched in horror at how disgusting it looked. The upper portion was fine as it looked like a young woman with a voluptuous figure with long black hair, but her lower portion killed it all. Her entire lower half resembled that of a centaur. She had large four legs like limbs, but the front two resembled humanoid hands with red fingernails as claws. There was also a large cavity located where her stomach should be, and the Shinigami could see vicious teeth like petrusions inside it, which he assumed was for devouring her victims.

It was official for Kurosaki Ichigo. This Stray Devil has to be the ugliest motherfucker he had ever seen.

"Oppai! Naked oppai!" Issei shouted with a perverted grin, which was rewarded with a hard punch on the head, courtesy of Ichigo.

"Now's not the time for that!" Ichigo roared at him. Honestly, He sees what had to be the fugliest creature he had ever faced, and _that's _the first thing he noticed?

"Disgusting." Koneko muttered, but whether she was talking about the Stray Devil or that Issei was it, was unknown.

Rias sighed at her pawn's personality and stepped forward. "Stray Devil type: Visor. Nefarious beings that run away from their masters to fulfill their own desires. They more than deserve death for their unforgivable sins. In the name of Duke Gremory, I'll finish you off!"

"What an insolent little girl," Vizor snarled out. "I'll enjoy covering you in blood as red as your hair!" The stray's nipples started to become erect as Magic Circles appeared around them. "Take this!" Yellow beams shot out of the nipples and towards the group. As the others took evasive action, Issei was frozen in place, possibly shocked that the Stray Devil used her beautiful bust to do such a thing. Noticing this, Ichigo grabbed his arm and pulled him back just in time to avoid one of the yellow beams.

As Issei regained his senses, he gasped in surprise as he saw the attack the Stray Devil had fired earlier melted the wall he previously stood in front of, "N-No joke! She really is a hell of a monster!"

"Don't let your guard down," Ichigo warned as he focused his attention to the battle that was about to commence, "Now let's watch how your master and her peerage fight. Considering you're new into this, watch and learn." Issei just responded with a nod.

"Yuuto!"

"Got it!" Kiba shouted before grabbing onto the sword at his side and disappeared from sight, much to the surprise of Ichigo and Issei, although with different reasons.

"Shunpo?" Ichigo asked with wide eyes to no one in particular.

"He vanished!" Issei exclaimed with a surprised look.

"He moves so fast you can't even see him. Yuuto represents the Knight. Incredible speed is his main trait, and swords are their weapon of choice." Rias explained as Kiba reappeared in front of the monster, drawing his sword out of its sheath before disappearing from sight once again. He then reappeared moments later and the creature's arms came clean off before falling to the ground, making the Stray Devil yell out in pain as blood sprayed out from the stumps where the arms were attached to.

Traits of a Knight is super speed and swords are their weapon of choice? Ichigo just smirked in approval, "Interesting..."

As Kiba stepped back, Koneko took centre stage as she stepped forward towards the Stray Devil. The Stray Devil let out a monstrous roar as it's appearance started to reshape itself, looking more monster-like as its chest and front part suddenly opened up into a set of jaws.

"Die you insect!" The Stray Devil shrieked in utmost hatred as it charged towards Koneko, but she didn't budge, maintaining her stoic expression. Instead, she allowed the Stray's large jaws to engulf her and clamp around her.

"Koneko-chan!" Issei shouted in shock.

"Don't worry, Issei," Rias said as she and the others not involved in combat yet watched as the Stray's jaws were slowly forced open. As it finally opened wide,other than her tattered uniform, it revealed a seemingly uninjured Koneko standing there with a bored look as her arms held the jaws open almost effortlessly. "Koneko's a Rook. Her traits are simple: Tremendous strength and defense. Such an attack by the Stray Devil won't even scratch her."

"Begone," Koneko spoke as she spun around and threw a powerful punch at the Stray Devil, sending Visor flying through a large stone pillar. Ichigo was impressed to say the least. Even though she was petite, she pack quite a punch. She somehow reminded him of Ururu in a way.

Rias looked towards the last member of her Peerage. "Akeno, it's your turn now."

"Yes, Buchou," Akeno was all smiles as she clapped her hands in front of her face and walked forward. There was something seriously disturbing about that pleasant and beautiful smile. Ichigo felt a shiver crawl up his spine. "Ara ara, what should I do now?"

As Akeno continued to move forward, Ichigo saw the arm Kiba severed off earlier was still moving from the corner of his eyes, and it was heading towards Rias and Issei.

"Watch out!" Before Rias was able to react, Ichigo wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back immediately to avoid the strike. Issei seemed to have noticed the same thing and jumped away from the arm, which was still coming towards them with its claws. The Shinigami grasped the hilt of Zangetsu behind his back, letting its bandages to unravel. With a hard slash, Ichigo sent a kenhatsu at the arm, completely obliterating it into dust.

Rias was surprised as she blinked at Ichigo before she smiled up at him. "Thank you, Ichigo."

The orange head was blushing as his arms were still around Rias' waist and she was pressing up against him, "Uh, not a problem."

"Whoever tries to hurt our beloved president..." Akeno's smile became wider as lightning started to spark wildly around her hands, "Needs to be punished!"

"Akeno is my Queen, with this piece she has all the abilities of a Pawn, Knight, Bishop and Rook." Rias explained as Akeno she raised her hands into the air and summoned a large bolt of yellow lightning above her before shooting down at the Stray and enveloped its whole body in a shroud of piercing pain. As Rias spoke, Ichigo found himself paying extra attention to Akeno. He had noticed something... off, about her as she began zapping lightning at Visor.

Akeno's breathing had become more and more erratic, like she had run a half-marathon at full sprint. Even so, he knew that one single attack she fired was not being anywhere near enough to tire someone like her out. There was a heavy blush staining her cheeks as well, and she was squeezing her thighs together and shuddering in ecstasy every few seconds.

"Y-You bitch..." Visor wheezed out in pain as Akeno stopped her attack.

"Ara, ara," smiling despite the insult, or maybe even because of it, Akeno tilted her head and looked down at the Stray Devil. "You're still so energetic. I guess that means you can withstand more punishment. Then, how about I try something like this!" She raised her hand and sparks of lightning shot from her fingertips into the air, then once again, descended upon the hapless Visor.

"She has incredible magical power and specializes in attacks using her demonic powers, and to top it off…"

The Stray Devil shook and convulsed of the shock, but that only seemed to make Akeno smile more as she stared down at her enemy, "Ara ara, looks like you're still energetic." Akeno said in a sultry voice before licking her lips sensually.

"She is a total sadist."

Ichigo shuddered as he watched as Akeno laughed with joy as she watched the stray struggle under her power. That explained everything that was going on between him and Akeno, especially what happened just a few hours ago. No wonder she was so damn seductive. The orange head couldn't help with breath out a sigh of relief when Rias called out of Akeno and ordered her to stop her attack...

"Ara ara...we're done already?" moaned out Akeno, as if she was whining. "That is very disappointing."

"Fuck," Ichigo murmured as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Somehow I feel sorry for that Stray Devil to go through that much torture."

Rias walked up to the thoroughly defeated Visor with her usual dignified fashion, stopping just a few feet away. Her was face blank, a perfectly composed mask befitting a Devil of her high standing. "Do you have any last words?"

"K-Kill me..."

"Alright then, your wish is in my command... Checkmate." The beauty spread her arms apart as a red Magic Circle appeared in front of her and released a blast of black energy with a red outline at the Stray, obliterating it into nothingness. Ichigo couldn't help but felt a sense of similarity to that attack Rias used as it was somehow reminiscent of his Getsuga Tensho in Bankai form.

"It's over everyone," Rias smiled at her peerage as she turned around, "Let's go back and have some tea."

"Excuse me, Buchou," Issei called out to the beauty.

"What is it Issei?" Rias asked, turning to look at him.

"So what about me?" Issei asked, pointing to himself, "I mean, what is my chess piece? You didn't mention it."

"You're a Pawn." Rias answered with a smile before she started to walk away with the others following after her. Issei was dumbfounded at that, a Pawn? The one that is considered as foot soldiers and with the lowest rank?!

"This sucks..." Issei muttered before walking after the group, his head swinging side to side feeling depressed. But before they could exit the building...

_**"HOLLOW! HOLLOW! HOLLOW! HOLLOW! HOLLOW!"**_

Everyone went wide eyed as they stared at Ichigo who was also in a similar state as he took out his substitute badge from his pocket. Surely enough, the badge was practically screaming and the skull's eyes were flashing madly.

"Shit," Ichigo muttered as he clenched his badge tightly, "I knew they would come sooner or later since my reiatsu's like a beacon to them."

"What's happening, Ichigo?" Rias asked. Before Ichigo could answer, a loud roar from outside the building cut him off. Without warning, the mansion shook and a massive weight pressed down on their shoulders. Issei was the only one seemingly affected heavily by it while the others were only slightly shocked by the increased pressure around them.

"Damn it's close," Ichigo growled as he narrowed his eyes.

"What's close?" Akeno asked. Another roar answered her.

"There's a Hollow on the loose," Ichigo replied as he made a dash towards the door and made his exit to the clearing, with the others follwing behind him. As Ichigo looked over his shoulder at the group, he smirked, "You guys have given me a lesson about Stray Devils. Now it's my turn to give you guys a lesson about Hollows, so watch and learn."

As they arrived at the clearing where the roar was originated from, everyone other than Ichigo went wide eyed as they saw a monster towring over the tallest trees. Its form was completely black standing close to six stories tall. On its face was a white mask with an elongated nose. Its body was covered from head to toe with a black reminiscent of a cloak. Around its neck a row of thin white spikes. Its feet were large and pointed wrapped in white bandages. Its most distinctive feature was the large hole on its midsection.

"What the fuck?! A Menos?!" the Shinigami gasped in shock as he looked up at the Hollow.

"W-What the hell is that?!" Issei stuttered as he felt intimidated by the frightening presense of the creature. It looked much scarier than the Stray Devil they had encountered a few minutes ago. Honestly, he felt like peeing in his pants.

"That is a Hollow," Ichigo explained without looking at him as he eyed the creature, "They are corrupt spirits with supernatural powers which devour the souls of both living and deceased people."

"Corrupt? Like how?" Rias as she eyed the creature, aware of its danger.

"Usually when a human dies, it'll peacefully move on to the Soul Society." Ichigo continued to explain, "But some remain in the living world to fulfil their own goals before moving on. If they stay in the Human World for too long, they'll turn into Hollows."

"And once a soul turns into a Hollow, it is driven by an eternal and insatiable hunger to devour other souls, living or dead. But in special cases of some Hollows, when human souls are unable to satisfy their hunger anymore, they'll devour other Hollows. Hollows that have the same desire will naturally gather together and begin to eat each other. When they fight, they'll eventually merge and form a more powerful sub-group of Hollows known as Menos. There are three classes of Menos: Gillian, Adjuchas, and Vasto Lorde. This one in particular is a Gillian, called a Menos Grande."

In spite of the situation at hand, Ichigo gave himself a pat on the back after he gave Rias and her peerage quite a detailed explaination about Hollows. He couldn't believe he was about to do what he was going to do, but he had to thank Rukia for drilling all that information into his brain, especially with her Chappy drawings.

Cue shudder.

And at that moment, as if sensing their presense, the Hollow identified as a Menos Grande tilted its large head down right at where they were standing. Noticing this, Ichigo took a battle stance.

"Be prepared!" Rias seemingly noticed this too and ordered her peerage as they took a battle stance to fight off the Hollow.

Stand down everyone," Ichigo said without looking back at them, startling them, "I've seen you all in action against that Stray Devil while I was in the spectator seat. Now," he finally looked at them, a smirk gracing his lips, "It's my turn to hog all the action, while you all just watch and learn." And with that, before anyone could retort against him, Ichigo practically flew off into the air, leaving a small crater on where he previously stood, making everyone wide eyed more.

They watched from the ground as Ichigo disappeared into the sky. As they looked into the white mask of the face they could faintly saw Ichigo's outline. As they watched clearly, they noticed Ichigo's sword was glowing a bright blue colour. They watched as the Hollow's mask split open revealing its mouth to open to an outlandish size before Ichigo swung his sword down and a wave of blue light pierced the entire form of the giant hollow, slicing it vertically in half. With a scream of pain, the hollow started to disintegrate into nothingness.

The group could only stare at Ichigo in a combination of awe, disbelief and surprise as he floated down from the sky, Zangetsu already wrapped in bandages on his back, "Well, it's been a long time since I've killed a hollow." He chucked while rubbing the back of his head. When he turned around, a smirk was on his face as he spoke, "Now that's over, we can truly go back and have a cup of tea."

Everyone's faces morphed from looks of disbelief into all smiles as they replied, "Hai!"

* * *

**And Chapter 4 done! Like finally!**

**And Merry Belated Christmas evryone!**

**Please R&amp;R. Constructive criticism is accepted.**

**The Atheltic Author out.**


	5. Chapter 5

**PLEASE READ BEFORE PROCEEDING TO THE STORY!**

**Please note to early readers of Chapter 4 that I made a few changes in that chapter after posting it, so be sure to read it again before reading my newest chapter. I had a lot of trouble with the last part when Ichigo fought the Hollow, especially the explaination about Hollows, thus the delay in releasing that chapter. And as expected, I got flamed big time by readers and they gave me a proper explaination about Hollows,****** prompting me to edit that part heavily.** With that said, I would like to thank the readers for taking their time in writing the correct explaination of Hollows in the Review section. You all have my gratitude and sorry for the inconvenience caused.**

**On an additional note, I'm sorry if my grammar is really bad. If that makes you don't want to read my story, be my guest. I can't impress everyone.**

**P.S. if some parts of my story looks familiar to you readers, it probably is. The story is inspired The Engulfing Silence's Devil Ninja and Oturan Namikaze's The Golden Devil.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and High School DxD.**

* * *

Ichigo stifled a yawn as he woke up from another exhausting night. The extermination of the Stray Devil was fine enough, but a Menos Grande to appear? That was surprising. Maybe because of his presence along with Rias and her peerage who had a substantial amount of reiatsu combined caused its appearance? He immediately stopped his train of thoughts. Thinking wasn't his kind of thing, usually that was Ishida's job.

Granted, the previous few days had been no rest and all action but somehow he didn't mind this kind of lifestyle at all even though it was a pain in the ass. At least it kept his fighting skills fresh, but he hoped that there are tougher opponents to fight against in the future to test his newly regained powers.

Wait, what the hell was he thinking? Damn his inner hollow and his battle instincts. It was rubbing off on him.

That didn't mean he didn't like fighting either.

Speaking of Rias, ever since he woke up, he was unable to move his left side and a weight was leaning on it under the covers. As he lifted the covers and looked at his left side, as expected, the crimson-haired beauty was sleeping soundly on his left shoulder. The Shinigami mentally groaned, it's been three nights in a row she sneaked into his room and slept with him. How the hell she sneaked in here anyway? The apartment door was locked and the windows were closed shut.

He mentally facepalmed himself. Of course she had used the Teleportation Circle.

He took a glance at her sleeping form that was using him as her pillow. Once again, she was shamelessly wearing her birthday suit. He could feel her body pressed against his, her bare breasts felt soft against his torso, and one of her legs had hooked itself around his right leg sometime during the night, the silky smoothness of her skin brought an almost intolerable pleasure, causing shivers to run down his spine.

Realizing what he was thinking, he blushed a deep crimson and immediately shook all those dirty thoughts away from his head, which lead him to another realization. To his surprise, even though they were now cuddling in the same bed, he didn't felt any embarrassment in the slightest. Somehow he had adapted to sleeping with her on the same bed, to the point it wasn't even surprising anymore.

He couldn't decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

He was by no means a pervert, but he got to admit he felt comfortable sleeping with her. But as much as he want to enjoy the comfortable warmth that having a beautiful girl sleeping with him brought, he knew he should probably get out of bed, get breakfast started, take a shower and prepare for school.

Deciding to do the latter, Ichigo tried to gently release her hold on him so he could get out of bed, but as soon as her grip was slightly loosened, she immediately countered and tighten her hold on him. For a few moments, Ichigo tried extricating himself from her iron grip numerous times, but as usual, she wouldn't budge.

"Don't leave, Ichigo. Please don't leave..." Rias mumbled in her sleep, much to Ichigo's surprise. Upon hearing that, the Shinigami's face softened and he sighed in resignation. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall and sighed in relief, there was still quite a lot of time before school starts.

Adjusting himself under Rias' grip so that he was lying on his side, Ichigo took a good look at Rias' face. Her hair was splayed out over the pillow and bed in a wild, untamed manner. Her eyes were closed, though Ichigo could see them occasionally moving behind her eyelids, and her mouth was parted slightly as she rhythmically breathed in and out.

"You're one troublesome girl, Rias," he softly mumbled in amusement as his lips curled upwards into a small smile. He absentmindedly pushed a few strands of her crimson hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek. Rias unconsciously smiled at the contact.

His stomach then chose the wrong timing and ruined such a moment as it growled in hunger, making him blush. Thankfully, Rias didn't heard it and was still sleeping. He had to get out of bed and make some breakfast, but how the hell can he do that when Rias was holding him in an iron grip? Thinking fast, he took the pillow he slept on and placed it in between him and Rias. Then he loosened her hold on him and immediately rolled himself out from her grasp. Thankfully, Rias didn't notice the loss of heat as she hugged the pillow, though a displeased frown was etched on her face.

The bed creaked just a bit as he moved his legs over the side and stood up. Rias still did not wake up, so Ichigo decided to tuck her in. After pulling the covers over her voluptuous figure, he took one last look on her before he made his way out of his room.

...

The smell of breakfast being cooked invaded Rias' nostrils as she woke up. Opening her eyes blearily, she found herself staring at a plain white ceiling. It was unfamiliar to her at first, but as she wiped the drowsiness of her eyes and her mind was finally fully awake, she realized she was in Ichigo's apartment, on his bed to be precise.

It's been three nights in a row she teleported into his apartment and slept with him. Not that she wanted to... correction, she _wanted_ to and she couldn't help it. The warmth he emitted when she slept with him was indescribable, like a warm and comforting blanket wrapped around her. No words could describe how comfortable it was sleeping with him. No pillow back in her room had ever brought her the same warmth as him, to the point she wondered if she could ever sleep alone in her room again.

And speaking of Ichigo, Rias sat up, uncaring of the blanket slipping off down her naked alluring figure and looked around the room. She blinked when she saw the Substitute Shingami was nowhere to be seen. Her nose twitched again as she inhaled the aromatic scent of food being prepared. So he was preparing breakfast then?

Wondering what he was cooking for today, Rias swung her legs over the side and stood up. Walking towards his wardrobe, she picked a random button up shirt which was obviously oversized for her and put it on. She shook her messy bed hair up with her hand as she reached the door and opened it. As she exited the room, she walked to the kitchen to face the back of Ichigo, who was topless and was only wearing a pair of track pants. He was in his own world as he hummed a tune while cooking breakfast. She didn't know what it was, but it smelled pretty good.

Deciding to see out what he was making, she walked directly behind him, pressed her chest against his back, wrapped her arms around his torso and placed her chin on his shoulder as she looked over him to the pan. She mentally smirked victorious as she felt Ichigo flinched in surprise at her embrace. She could also felt his cheeks heating up too. Ah the reactions she got from him. She will never get tired of it.

"What are you making?"

Upon hearing her voice, Ichigo regained his composure as he cleared his throat and continued to stir his cooking on the pan, "Just scrambled eggs and toast," he spoke as he took a pinch of pepper from a container at his side and added it into his almost-done scrambled eggs, "It's almost done, and the toast should be done by now." As if the toaster heard him, two pieces of toast popped up from the toaster at his left.

"Well since you're here," Ichigo spoke as he looked over his shoulder at Rias, "Can you help me prepare the table? The plates and silver ware are at the lower cabinet over there," He nudged his head to his left side and continued,"Ah, and help me take out the toast."

"Sure," Rias smiled as she released her embrace and walked towards where Ichigo showed her where the plates are. Ichigo mentally sighed in relief. He was getting really uncomfortable with Rias hugging him from behind. It wasn't that it didn't felt nice, but he was starting to get aroused and his junior was responding to it as it started to stand in attention, which calmed down after she released her embrace.

After taking out the plates and silver ware, Rias took out the toast from the toaster and placed it on one of the plates before placing it on the table. After she was done preparing the table, she heard Ichigo spoke again.

"Can help me take two more plates from the cabinet and give it to me? The scrambled eggs is done," Ichigo said once more as he never took his eyes from the pan. His tone sounded sheepish as he said that, "Sorry for bothering you."

"It's fine. Friends help each other right?" Rias smiled as she took out another plate. She then walked towards Ichigo and stopped a few inched away as she held the plate in front of her, "Here you go."

"Thanks." Ichigo said with gratitude as he took the plates. He scooped up the finished scrambled eggs and placed it on each plate. He then turned around to fully face her. And that was when his breath was taken away.

Ichigo jaw-dropped at the sight. He dared not to say it out loud, but he dared to mentally admit that Rias currently looked sexier than when she was naked. Sure he had acknowledged that Rias was a very beautiful woman but to see her in what seemed to be only one article of clothing with a messy head of crimson hair from what looked to be just shaken up with her hand to get the bed hair away... Ichigo was speechless. She was even more attractive, if that was possible as she was now. "Ah... why are you wearing one of my shirts?"

"Well since I have to take a shower later on, I thought it will be troublesome if I wore my uniform now, so I took one of your shirts." Rias' expression slowly turned more seductive and leaned forward as her hand slowly traced up to the top button, threatening to open it, "Or do you prefer me naked?"

"N-No! That's fine! You can wear my shirt!" Ichigo stuttered loudly as he averted his gaze with a blush, making Rias' smirk even wider. "I-In the meantime, just take a seat. I'll prepare drinks for you," Rias smiled at that and walked towards the dinner table and sat down. Ichigo sighed in relief as he walked over to place one of the scrambled eggs in front of her while the other was set on the opposite side of the table.

"What do you like to drink?"

"Um," Rias scrunched up her nose in thought, "Milk is fine. Or orange juice, if you have any."

"Alright," Ichigo responded as he got two glass from the cabinet and a pitcher of orange juice from the fridge. After pouring the orange juice into each glass, he placed the pitcher back into the fridge and walked towards the table and put one of the glass in front of her, "One glass of orange juice for hime-sama." he lightly teased.

"Oh stop it you, you're making me blush," Rias playfully replied back, unconsciously trying to hide her giddy at the Shinigami calling her a princess as Ichigo took a seat opposite her. They then clapped their hands simultaneously as they said in unison, "Itadakimasu!"

Breakfast was quite pleasant actually. Though they didn't actually talk much, but Rias was fine with it. In fact, it just gave her time to think about the person sitting in front of her and the events that happened the day before.

She recalled Ichigo had dealt with the gigantic creature known as a Hollow, or in this case, a Menos Grande after the Stray Devil was dealt with. She recalled how dense the power was within the Hollow, yet Ichigo just killed it like it was some pesky bug. She knew Ichigo was powerful, which was proven with his brief display of his prowess yesterday, but something tells her that he wasn't using his full capabilities.

She hoped that when the time comes, she can finally see what Ichigo is truly capable of.

_"And maybe, you'll be the one who can save me from my arranged marriage."  
_

...

**After school**

Issei was in a state of dejection as he made his way to the Occult Research Club building. He was in that state since this morning. Matsuda and Motohama had noticed this and tried to cheer him up with porn mags and peeping sessions, but (surprisingly) all of that didn't work. The brown haired pawn had a lot in his mind.

It was after seeing Rias-buchou and her peerage eliminated the Stray Devil without much effort and Ichigo dealing with that gigantic monstrous creature known as a Hollow with a brief yet impressive display of power that brought him into this state. He couldn't even get a good night sleep last night.

He was weak and he knew that. With almost non-existent lack of skill in fighting and handling his Sacred Gear and his status in Rias-buchou's peerage as a pawn, the lowest rank in the game of chess, he was just nothing but a newly reincarnated Devil. Plus, as a Devil, he couldn't even teleport to his summoners due to a total lack of magic power and form a contract with them. How pathetic was that?

He really wanted to get stronger, but how? He had no proper training and no knowledge about the Three Factions and the Soul Society prior to being a Devil. Now he felt his proclaimation of rising up the ranks to be a High-Class Devil and the Underworld's Harem King were just all talk and no substance at all.

And then there was Asia...

If Issei didn't know any better, it was almost love at first sight. She was so innocent and nice, not to mention she was cute. That long blonde hair, those amazing green eyes... she really was Issei's type of girl. She may not be as... _mature _as Akeno-senpai or Rias-buchou but she was still beautiful nonetheless.

But she was with the Holy side of the Three Factions since she was a nun. And due to that, Rias-buchou had forbid him to go to the church and visit her because churches and people associating with the church are dangerous to Devils. He really wanted to keep his promise and visit Asia but he knew Rias-buchou wouldn't allow him to do so. Even if he visited her in secret, she would find out anyway. He understood that Rias was just trying to protect him from danger.

Maybe she said so because he wasn't strong enough yet to enter the church and defend himself from danger.

That very thought just made him even more depressed. Dammit, if only he knew how to get stronger...

"Seems like you have a lot going on in your mind."

"GAH!" a sudden voice from behind him brought him out of his thoughts and made him jump in surprise as he turned around to see Ichigo walking towards him at a casually pace, his eyebrows raised, "uh, hey, Ichigo-senpai. I thought you went with Buchou and Akeno-senpai?"

"Ah the teacher wanted to see me so they went ahead," Ichigo shrugged as he stopped his tracks just a few meters apart from Issei, "What's wrong? You looked like you've lost your porn mags or something."

"S-Shut up! That's not it!" Issei retorted with a slight blush. He then raised his left hand and clenched it as he looked at it, his eyes downcast, "It's just that... After seeing you, Buchou and the others fight yesterday, I realized I was weak. You guys were so strong. I have no fighting skills. Heck, I don't even know how to use magic or my Sacred Gear. Knowing that I'm just a Pawn makes all that even worse. I suck so bad man."

"Don't fall yourself short, Issei," Ichigo chided, not realizing he was calling the brown haired Pawn by his first name, "You were thrown into this against your will. As time goes on, with guidance, you'll grow stronger."

"That's easy for you to say," Issei retorted, almost shouting as he looked up at him, gritting his teeth, "You're crazy strong. How could you understand what I'm feeling now?"

"Because, I was once just like you," that statement made Issei widen his eyes as he continued, "Two years ago, I was just an ordinary high school student with an ability to see ghosts. It wasn't until one fateful day, I gained the power to fight, which simultaneously thrown me into a world I had absolutely no knowledge about." Flashbacks of Rukia granting him the power of a Shinigami when his family was attacked by a Hollow filled his mind. He looked down as he raised his right hand and clenched it, "That time I had no idea what I was doing. But as time goes by, I faced stronger and stronger opponents, and I trained hard under everyone's guidance to get even stronger so I could defeat them and protect everyone around me. I wouldn't be here if not for the people that guided me through along the way." Faces of his friends and family back at Karakura Town, Soul Society, his zanpakuto and even his inner hollow flashed thorugh his mind.

"And that is why you don't have to worry, Issei," said person felt a hand on his head and he looked up to see the smiling face of Ichigo, surprising him. That was a genuine smile. He never seen Ichigo smile like that before. A smirk maybe, but not a smile, "Rias along with her peerage and I will guide you through and make you stronger. I may not be familiar with this Three Factions stuff, but I can help you in getting stronger. Before you know it, you're going to be badass," He ruffled Issei hair before letting go and walked away to the Occult Research Club building.

Issei looked at the orange haired Shinigami in wonder as he continued to walk away. He then widened his eyes as he remembered something and called him out loud, "Wait Ichigo!"

Said person halted his steps and looked over his shoulder, "Yeah?" he asked.

"Why do you want to be so strong?"

Ichigo's lips once again curled into a small smile, "Because I want to protect the people that are precious to me." he simply said and continued his path, leaving an astounded Issei standing there.

...

**Later that evening.**

"Koneko was summoned by two people once again. Can you take care of one, Issei?" Rias requested nicely as she leaned at the windowsill of the clubroom, with Issei standing across her a few metres from her. All the members were present in the clubroom expect Kiba who was summoned a short while ago and Ichigo who was dealing with another Hollow appearance around the area. Koneko was sitting on a sofa eating her percious sweets while Akeno was standing a few metres behind Issei. Ichigo's body was laying down on the sofa opposite of Koneko.

"Yes Buchou." Issei nodded.

Rias pushed herself from the wall and turned around to look out of the window as she crossed her arms, her face showing no sign of humor. She then spoke again with her tone much more serious, "Make sure to form a contract this time. Don't let me down."

Issei faltered even more as he looked down, knowing that she was referring to his first summon which was also due to the fact Koneko was summoned twice. Not only he argued with the summoner about which anime show was better, he failed to form a contract with him,"...Yes Buchou." He softly muttered as he turned around and walked towards the doorway, totally ignoring the gentle and smiling gaze of the Vice-President.

"Good luck, Issei-kun," Akeno cheered lightly, pouring much support into her words she could possibly muster. Issei looked up at her and forced a small smile as he gave a simple nod and continued his path. Even though Akeno-senpai's support for him to succeed made him felt slightly better, it still wasn't enough. His mind was still filled with so many uncertainties, even after his heart-to-heart talk with Ichigo-senpai.

Before he could reach for the door, he startled slightly as it opened from the other side, revealing the Shinigami form of Ichigo. His eyebrows was still drawn together in a scowl but it was less pronounced, and his lips were not in a frown.

"Ah, got summoned again Issei?" The orange-haired strawberry asked.

"Not really," the newly reincarnated Pawn replied, "Have to take over one of Koneko-chan's. She got summoned twice again."

"I see," but truthfully he wasn't. He was noting how tense and stiff Issei was. He could actually literally see the gears spinning non stop in his brain.

"Just relax, Issei. You're so stiff even your erection can't compare with it." Ichigo lightly joked, which elicted a not amused 'Hey!' from Issei, "Don't think too much. Just be nice with your summoner. Unless the request is absolutely ridiculous, do what the person requests you to do, and you'll get your contract. You'll be fine."

Issei could feel his self-inflicted burden on his shoulders getting lighter and was standing straighter than a few minutes before as he gave his senpai a simple "Thank you," before walked out of the door and closed it behind him. Aside from his one-tracked mind on big breasts and naked women, Issei reminded Ichigo of himself when he was suddenly thrown into the spiritual world. The only difference was that he was tasked by Rukia every single day to kill Hollows much to his displeasure, while Issei was tasked to form contracts on a daily basis to rise up the ranks.

And Ichigo had to admit, killing Hollows is a much better job.

Koneko then stopped eating her beloved cake and stood up from her seat, and almost instantly, her Gremory House symbol in her left palm starts to glow brightly. "I'm going, Buchou." she spoke in her usual stoic tone.

"Okay, Koneko-chan. Good luck." Rias looked over her shoulder and acknowledged the white-haired Rook with a smile. With a nod in response, a seal appeared below Koneko and teleported her away.

"And welcome back, Ichigo," Rias melodiously said with a smile as she fully turned around to face him, with Akeno following suit, "I guess your Hollow extermination went by without any problems."

"Yeah, it was," Ichigo replied with a shrug as he walked towards his physical body and entered it," but other than a pain in the ass, this one slightly caught me off guard."

Seeing the both of blinked in question, Ichigo felt the need to elaborate what he had just said, "There wasn't only one, but two Hollows at large in different parts of town."

"Were these Hollows like the one we first encountered last night?" Akeno asked.

"No chance in Hell." Ichigo scoffed as he dusted himself, "Menos Grande rarely appears unless there's a dense amount of spiritual pressure in one area. The ones I encountered today were regular Hollows. I guess you could call them small fry." He then turned around and walked towards the door as he gave a wave over his shoulder, "Well if you excuse me, I'm off."

"Eh? Where are you going?" Rias asked as she walked to stand beside her best friend.

"Early dinner," Ichigo simply said as he looked over his shoulder, "All that energy used up in killing those Hollows made me hungry, and it's close to dinnertime, so I'm going to a simple restaurant to satisfy my stomach. You girls wanna come?"

Rias disappointedly shook her head and a sad smile was etched on her face as she reasoned, "Sadly I can't, Ichigo. I have to write a report about yesterday's Stray Devil extermination and send it to the archduke. Plus, I have to wait for the others to come back to the clubroom. I'm sorry."

"Nah it's alright," Ichigo waved it off as he then turned his attention to the luscious Vice-President, "What about you Akeno? Wanna come along?"

"Ara ara, is Ichigo-kun asking me out on a date?" Akeno implied with a sly smile on her face as she placed her left palm on her cheek. Her words made Ichigo blush and Rias scowl and crossed her arms in disapproval, "Looks like he's ready to proceed his punishment for spending too much time with Buchou, ufufufu~"

"It's just dinner! Not a date for fuck's sake!" Ichigo roared in embarrassment.

"Don't be ridiculous, Akeno." Said beauty looked over and was mildly surprised as she saw Rias glaring at her, "It's only dinner like he said."

Being Akeno, however, she recovered from her surprise very quickly.

"Ara, ara. Is someone feeling a bit jealous?" asked Akeno, causing Rias to huff and avert her gaze from her Queen, the frown growing even more prominent.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," was Akeno's sly reply, "ufufufu~"

Ichigo just facepalmed at the scene in front of him as he sighed and raised his hands in resignation, "Ah whatever, I'm outta here. Just come along if you want to." The two of them stopped their bickering and watched him as he turned around and opened the door and closed it behind him. His footsteps can be heard fading away from inside the clubroom.

"Ara ara..."

...

Ichigo stomped out of the clubroom and towards the exit of the academy with his hands in his pockets, scowling much deeper than before. Just when he thought Rias was bad enough, Akeno was even worse! Those two can be merciless when it comes to teasing him, which reminded him of Yoruichi and Rangiku. He shuddered at the thought of that.

Speaking of Yoruichi, he thoughts wandered to the people dear to him back at his hometown. He wondered how was everyone doing over there, especially his family. He had the urge to call them a few times before but immediately ditched that idea. Calling his family meant calling his eccentric dad, and there was no way he want to waste all his energy tolerating that old buffoon's childish antics.

As he took a step out of the school gate, he stopped in his tracks as he heard a familiar elegant voice calling for him behind him. He looked over his shoulder and blushed as he watched Akeno running towards him. It wasn't because of Akeno that he blushed, it was due to her large-than-average... mounds that were distracting. As she was running, they were jiggling up and down, to which Ichigo noticed immediately.

_"So... bouncy...!" _Realising what he was thinking, he blushed a darker shade of red as he abruptly snapped his gazy away from her. He mentally cursed himself. Seems like Issei's over-the-top lecherousness was rubbing off on him. Damn that oppai-loving bastard.

As he was slowly recovering from his moment of lewdness, he heard Akeno's footsteps getting slower and nearer and stopped as she stood beside him. "So where are we going for dinner, Ichigo-kun?" he heard her spoke.

"Eh? That... well..." Ichigo actually managed to look sheepish as he scratched the back of his head. Even though he was aware it wasn't a date (to which he convinced himself it wasn't), the prospect of having dinner with a beautiful girl like Akeno made him nervous for some unknown reason, "I'm still practically new in this town, so I don't really know any decent places to eat. I actually planned to walk around the area and eat at the place that will catch my interest so..."

"It's alright, Ichigo-kun," Akeno had a beautiful smile as she said that, which startled Ichigo a lil' bit. With a smile like that, she looked like she was practically glowing. The other thing Ichigo noticed was the slight glint in her eyes, "I know of a nice cafe nearby. I've went there a few times with Rias. Why don't I show you the way?" And with that, she took Ichigo's calloused hand and broke into a run as she pulled him along, elicting a gasp of surprise from the Shinigami Substitute and a melodious giggle from the ponytailed beauty.

...

"How about a favourite movie?"

"Eh? Well action and crime movies never makes me bored and always keeps me at the edge of my seat. So yeah."

"What about horror?"

"Never a fan. After what I've been through all my life, horror movies don't scare me anymore."

"Ara, too bad, and to think that you're the horror type..."

"Wait, you like those movies? Even though you're a devil?"

"When I watch those poor souls getting frightened by scary demons or ghosts, their screams of terror and fear made me so hot inside, ufufufu~"

"... You're sick."

"Ara ara Ichigo-kun, that's not a nice thing to say to a lady."

Ichigo found himself entering the school grounds with Akeno latching onto his arm after their dinner. He was escorting her back to the clubroom before he went home and get some deserved rest. Dinner was quite pleasant to say the least. It was their first time having a chit-chat without anything related to the Three Factions, just normal stuff from their hobbies to their favourite bands. They had an enjoyable time.

Well other than the moment when Akeno spoke about her love towards BDSM.

It was disturbing, enough said.

The café close to the school was actually pretty fine. It was an open-air café with quite a few tables spread out between a very nice organization of plants and flowerbeds. The tables and chairs were of Italian design, and they play some soft classical music in the background, and it made Ichigo felt calmer inside.

However, to Ichigo's slight displeasure, it appeared to be quite a popular place among students. When he first entered, he noticed almost every one of the other tables was filled with people wearing Kuoh uniforms. Most of them were looking over at Ichigo and Akeno with widened eyes, and as expected, the majority of the cafe attendees broke into hushes, whispers and murmurs. As usual, Ichigo ignored them, but he couldn't help feeling annoyed.

"I won't stop until you stop teasing me and being a sadist, which will never happen." Ichigo smirked.

Akeno then looked up at him with a scandalous look. She suddenly looked like he had just announced he was really a girl, or something much more ridiculous, "Ara ara, that can't do Ichigo-kun. I wouldn't be Himejima Akeno if I stop being the woman I am."

"Figures," Ichigo sighed as they finally reached the doorstep of the Old School Building. He could detect the slight hesitation from the Akeno as he pulled his arm away from her grasp but he paid no mind to it and fully turned around to face her, "Well I suppose this is where we part ways..."

"Yes it is..." Akeno drifted off before she suddenly brightened up like a Christmas tree, "And Ichigo-kun?"

"Hm?" Ichigo responded and could only froze as he watched Akeno leaned closer towards him. His heart skipped a few beats as he felt her luscious lips make contact with his cheek in a chaste kiss before she pulled back with a sweet smile on her face. Ichigo was speechless. With the light of the full moon under her, she looked like she was glowing.

"That was a reward for giving me a great time. Let's go out on a date again someday, ne?"

Ichigo could hear his brain rebooting before he finally regained his bearings and cleared his throat, "How many times do I have to tell you? It wasn't a date," he groaned before he gave her a small smile in return, "but I'm glad you had fun." He then turned around and waved behind him as he walked away, "See you tomorrow, Akeno."

"Goodnight Ichigo-kun. If you were to release some tension before sleeping, be sure to imagine me ravishing you alright? Ufufufu~"

Ichigo spluttered as he got the meaning behind Akeno's words and blushed a deep crimson as he picked up the pace and walked faster, wanting to be home immediately, and that was not because he wanted to jerk off, no sir. He just wanted to take a cold shower immediately and went to bed.

He wasn't able to do so as he felt a spike of reiatsu at the housing area.

He went wide eyed at that as he stopped in his tracks, not because he felt that. That was because he felt not one, not two, but _three _reiatsu signatures. Although he couldn't identify two of them, there was one he could, and the danger bells inside him rang. There was no mistaken it.

It was Issei's reiatsu. And he was in danger.

He immediately turned around and at a respectable distance, he saw Akeno was still standing at where he left her. Her demeanor had changed, as if she was alarmed at something. The ponytailed beauty noticed the Shinigami was staring at her with a serious look, and she nodded in confirmation. He knew at that moment she also felt Issei was in serious danger.

The two of them ran into the Old School Building and head up the stairs before opening the door of the Occult Research Club room. They were greeted with the sight of Rias, Kiba and Koneko standing up and preparing for combat.

"Nice timing both of you," Rias said as she walked around her desk and towards them, "Issei is in deep trouble and we have to save him. Akeno, prepare a teleportation circle in an instant."

"Yes Buchou," Akeno wasted no time as she stood at the centre of the room, spread her arms wide and created the teleportation circle beneath her. Other then Ichigo, everyone stepped into the teleportation circle. The circle started to glow brighter before it vanished, indicating they have teleported to their location.

A few seconds after they teleported, Ichigo closed his eyes in absolute focus. Moments later, his body was glowing in a blue aura and the air started to swirl around him. The area around him went dark before it was filled with countless of ribbons.

"Gotcha!" After much concentration, he found the location of Issei's reiatsu and grabbed the offending ribbon. He opened his eyes to look into his hand to see a pitch black spirit ribbon with a noticeable red outline. Without wasting any further time, he took out his badge from his pant pocket and pushed it onto his chest, ejecting his soul form. After placing his body properly onto the couch, he dashed out of the clubroom door and exited the building before vanishing in a Shunpo.

As he reappeared at a particular street of the housing area where Issei's reiatsu was located, his vision noticed something above him was glowing brighter. He looked up and went wide eyed as he saw three different coloured light spears coming down towards him in incredible speeds. They landed and stabbed right in front of where he stood, instantly causing a huge explosion.

Moments later, three Fallen Angels slowly decending from the sky and landed on the ground as they watch the enormous dust cloud slowly cleared. One was a young petite girl with blonde hair styled in twin short side ponytails and blue eyes. She wore a gothic lolita attire, which consisted of a black lolita dress with white frills, a large black bow on the front, and a green jewel embedded on the collar, white thigh-high socks, and black shoes. She also wore a large black bow on top of her hair. This one was Mitlett.

The second one was a tall and buxom woman with long, navy blue hair that obscured her right eye and brown eyes. Her attire consisted of a violet, trenchcoat-like top with a wide collar, a matching miniskirt, and black heeled shoes. The trenchcoat top was open at her chest, giving view to her ample mounds and cleavage. She also wore a gold necklace around her neck. This one was Kalawarner.

The third one was a middle-aged-looking gentleman with short black hair and dark blue eyes. His attire consisted of a pale violet trenchcoat over a white dress shirt with a matching ascot, black pants and shoes, and a black fedora. This was the one who attacked Issei the second time, Dohnaseek.

As the dust cloud finally cleared, they immediately inspect the damage they had done. There was a large crater at the middle of the road, but there was no sign of the Shinigami.

"So this is one you said that was powerful, Dohnaseek?" Mitlett looked at said person sarcastically, "Look! One explosion from our light spears and he already turned into dust."

"Tch and I'm here expecting him to survive it and we can fight to see who's stronger," Dohnaseek sneered, "Never thought he can be such a weakling, a Shinigami no less."

"Relax, Dohnaseek," Kalawarner spoke, "Raynare-sama initial plan was to distract him enough from retrieving Freed and that nun. The fact that we managed to kill him seems to be a big plus, don't you think?"

"What makes you all think you could kill me?"

All three of them went wide eyed as they heard a calm voice behind them. They slowly turned around and were shocked to bits as they were facing the back of Kurosaki Ichigo. What surprised them the most was other than his slightly tattered black kimono, he looked absolutely fine with no injuries.

"I-Impossible!" Kalawarner claimed in disbelief.

"You're not even at my level. Even with the three of you combined, you won't stand a chance," Ichigo spoke, "I suppose I could give you credit for that 'well-thought' distraction plan. Well, sorry to piss on your bonfire but," he looked over his shoulder and the three of them were frozen as they stared at the cold, piercing gaze of the Shinigami, "Such a plan doesn't work on me." He then vanished in a Shunpo.

"Shit!" Kalawarner shouted as she spread her wings, "Go to the house!" the other two nodded without reply as they spread their wings as well and immediately took off.

...

Issei found himself cursing at his luck. What in the hell did he do to actually get himself tangled in such a mess?

Too many things had happened in a matter of minutes. To summarize it, Firstly, he found his summoner dead on arrival killed by an insane exorcist named Freed Sellzen, waiting for him with light based weapons. Secondly, Asia was there as well and discovered he was a devil. Even so, she defended him against Freed after being shot and cut by his light based weapons. Thirdly he was on the ground in pain as the sick twisted excuse of a priest attempted to rape Asia, having already stripped her torso. _'I need to save her, no matter what I need to help her.'_

"S-Stop it!" Issei grunted in pain as he forced himself to stand, going against the pain barrier and getting the attention of Freed before he could anything to harm Asia.

"Hold your horses there, mister!" Freed gave him a crazed look, "You got to pay before you can watch such great porn!"

Issei wouldn't back down and glared at him, ignoring the pain from his injuries as he spoke coldly, "Let Asia go you bastard!"

"Seriously?" Freed whistled in a combination of amazement and amusement as he unstabbed the sword from the wall, dropping Asia in the process, "The consequences will be the same! You'll suffer from my power and die!"

"Let's see about that!" Issei shouted as he charged forward. Pushing through the pain he struck out and punched Freed right in the face, making him fell on his butt and a loose teeth as he spit it out.

"Interesting," Freed said as he wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve and stood back up, "Looks like I'm gonna set a personal record for making the finest Devil mincemeat ever!" Freed laughed manically as he leaped forward to land his finishing blow.

Issei was unable to dodge as the pain on his knee injury caused by the light bullet Freed fired previously suddenly stung in pain, making him stumble and a passenger for the incoming blow. Asia could only scream in terror, unable to do something to help her only friend as she watched Freed going to kill Issei.

He was unable to do so as a Magic circle appeared in front of him and a sword blocked his attack.

"Kiba!" Issei shouted in surprise as he watched said person leaped out from the Magic Circle and blocked Freed's attack.

"We're here to help you, Hyoudou-kun." Kiba said as he fend off Freed attack at the same time.

"Ara, ara, you look injured." Issei looked up and saw Akeno walked out of the Magic circle, with Koneko following behind her.

"Exorcist..."

"You guys," Issei could only mutter as he just stared at them in disbelief.

"Woots! Well lookie here, more shitty Devils to kill," Freed gleefully stated while his sword hummed into being from the golden hilt in his hand. He then crossed his gun over the hilt of his blade.

"Sorry to barge on your battle, but he's our comrade. " Kiba spoke calmly as he took a sword stance, preparing another clash from the exorcist.

"Oh ho, so that how it is huh?!" Freed maniacally stated as he leaned forward slightly, "So what's with you two? You're the top and he's the bottom?"

"And you have quite the mouth," Kiba replied "Are you really a priest?"

"Don't talk as if you're refined you shitty Devil!" Freed snarled in disgust, "It's my purpose in life as an Exorcist to kill maggots like you lot! Just shut up and let me kill you into smitereens!"

"Ara ara," Akeno was smiling as she said that, but her eyes were cold, "Even us Devils don't jump on just anyone."

"Ooooh those intense eyes, I love it!" Freed hugged himself in enjoyment, "I can feel your killing intent directing towards me. Is this love? No. Is it killing intent? Superb! This is great! I love the feeling of intending to kill and getting intended to kill!"

"Then disappear."

Freed froze at that and stopped his maniacal antics as he heard that. He looked over the magic circle and went wide eyed as he saw a large black energy with a red outline coming towards. Just before it could hit him, he rolled over to the side, barely managing to avoid it. The blast of energy hit the table behind him and was destroyed into nothingness.

"It seems you've been messing around with my adorable servant," Rias said as she finally decided to get herself involved in the battle now that she had a clear shot of her enemy. All eyes followed her as she moved to stand by Issei, her hand still outstretched towards the priest and her eyes narrowed in anger. "Especially someone with such a vulgar mouth. Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from a stray exorcist."

"Yeah, yeah! I've got a potty mouth," the exorcist spoke without any care in his tone as he stood back up, "And I messed around with you shitty servant for a while. So what? You expect me to say sorry?!" He then turned his attention towards Asia, who was unknowingly staring at the devil he was playing with. With a menacing frown and scowl, he stomped on her prone form, elicting a surprised and pained gasp from her, "And you!" he shouted angrily and he repeatedly stomped on her, "Do you understand the situation now, you dumb blonde?! You were supposed to take care of the barrier! This is all your fault! Now your- GAH!"

He wasn't able to finish his unforgiving rant as he felt a hand grabbed his neck tightly, which made him choke and pushed him to the wall behind him, pinning him in the process. When he finally regained his bearings, his vision was filled with a mop of orange hair. His attire consisted of a black kimono with a red strap across his shoulder. He also noticed the rather large sword behind his back. He wasn't able to wrestle his grasp because his hands were full.

"Ichigo!" He heard Rias gasped in surprise. So these Devils know him, is he a part of them as well?

"That girl," Ichigo spoke, but he wasn't looking at Freed. His eyes were shadowed by his bangs since he was looking down, "Isn't she your comrade?"

Upon hearing that, Freed just laughed maniacally in response as he cackled, "Comrade?! No way! She's my tool to help me in killing shitty creatures such as those Devils I hate so much! And with that body of hers, she can also be my se-GAK!"

Once again, he wasn't able to finish as the grip around his neck was tighten to the point he wasn't able to breathe, "So that's your answer huh? For someone who is a part of the Church, you sure have a shitty attitude. Hurting my comrades is bad enough, but hurting your own comrades?" the Shinigami finally looked up and Freed felt his blood froze as he stared at his cold, dark gaze. What was even scarier was the black tendrils creeping out from the corner of his left eye, "That is unforgivable." And with that, Ichigo threw him to the side and into the wall, rendering him unconscious. Freed's legs were sticking out of the wall.

Ichigo stopped in front of Asia, who shrunk into herself a bit as he approached and bent down, "Are you okay?" He gently reached down and lifted her up, trying to ignore the fact that she was naked due to her clothes been cut down the middle.

"I-I am fine…" Asia hesitantly replied as she reached up and tried to cover herself with her hands.

"Ara ara, that was merciless of you, Ichigo-kun," Ichigo looked over as sweatdropped as he watched Akeno fidgeting and rubbing her thighs, her face expressions showing signs of her... arousal, "It was so invigorating I couldn't keep my eyes away."

"Yeah yeah, very flattering, Akeno. But now's not the time," Ichigo warned, which made Akeno and the others blinked at him in confusion, "I confronted with a few Fallen Angels before I got here and I managed to deal with 'em. But we have to get out of here soon, I could sense they're coming."

Koneko sniffed the air and confirmed Ichigo's statement as she said, "Ichigo-senpai is right. Multiple Fallen Angels are coming."

"I see," Rias nodded in response, "There's nothing left to do here. We came only to retrieve Issei, and our objective has been accomplished. Akeno, take us back."

"Hai, Buchou," the Queen accepted with a nod. She then held out a hand and a large crimson Magic Circle formed underneath them all except Ichigo.

"Koneko-chan, I'll leave Issei to you."

"Hai," Koneko complied and carried Issei in a potato sack carry.

"Ichigo, we're going on ahead." Rias called out as she and her Peerage stood in the magical circle, except Issei since he was being carried by the petite ivory-haired girl, "See you at the clubroom." Ichigo only responded with a affirmative nod. He planned to stay back until they finally teleported away before the exorcist wakes up or the Fallen Angels arrive.

While all of this was going on, Issei was staring at Asia who was returning his gaze. She was with those Fallen Angels and that scumbag exorcist who almost raped her in front of him. She was such a nice girl, how could he left her alone with those bastards? Fuck all if she was a nun, she was a friend, and he wanted to bring her back to the clubroom so she can be safe.

"Asia!" Issei's frantic cries echoed as he frantically tried to get away from Koneko's firm hold. "Buchou, _please_, let's take her with us!" he pleaded.

The crimson-haired master only shook her head and informed him, "This Magic Circle only works for members of my House, Issei. That nun can't come with us."

"N-No way..." Issei was on the verge of tears but stopped as he looked at Ichigo. In an instant, a light bulb switched on in his mind as a great idea flashed. He remembered one crucial info about Ichigo.

He can't teleport with them.

"Ichigo-senpai!" Issei cried out in desperation as the magic circle started to glow brighter, "Take Asia with you! She's a nice girl even though she's a nun! Please save her I beg you! She's a frieeeeeeeee..." He wasn't able to finish his plead as he was teleported away.

But that doesn't bother Ichigo, because he knew what Issei was gonna say. So he and this nun are friends huh? This sounded like a story of forbidden love between a devil and a nun. He held back a chuckle at the thought of it.

"Your name is Ichigo-san right?" Ichigo's train of thoughts were broken as he heard someone called his name. He looked down to see the blonde nun with a small smile on her face as she politely bowed at him, "Thank you for taking care of Issei-san. I see he has some wonderful friends."

"Even with that dirty mind of his, yeah he does," Ichigo replied, "So your name is Asia?" the nun nodded in confirmation, "How the both of you became friends?"

Asia was still smiling as she looked down and spoke softly, "It was the first day I arrived here. I got lost on my way to the church, until I met Issei-san. That time I didn't know he was a Devil, but he treated me with such kindness. He led me to the only church that was located in this town."

_"Issei, I forbid you from going near the Church ever again."_

That argument between Rias and Issei the other day rang in Ichigo's mind. So this was why Issei get in trouble with the President of the Club.

"Even though he's a Devil," Asia continued, "I can't see myself going against him, because being a Devil aside, Issei-san's a good and kind person at heart, and that is why I see him as a friend. My first friend."

Ichigo just looked at her blankly before he felt a buildup of energy on top of him. He looked up and saw a purple-and-black portal began to form above their heads on the room's ceiling. He then looked back and Asia before he held out his hand in a small smile, "Let's go. We don't want some Fallen Angels to attack us, don't we?"

Asia just looked at him in shock "E-Eh?" And then averted her gaze, "B-But I..."

"You're coming and that's that. You're Issei's friend right?" Ichigo interrupted her, "My friend's friends are my friends too. And that means you're a friend to me too. Besides, you think I'll left you alone with these bastards after what that exorcist did to you?" He sighed at her surprised gaze before he proceeeded to carry her without warning in a bridal carry, making her gasp in surprised and blushed at the way he was carrying her.

"Bear with me, this will make you a little sick in the stomach," he warned Asia but before she could ask what he meant, he vanished in a Shunpo.

* * *

**Chapter 5 is done like finally! The longest I've ever written.  
**

**My apologies for the really late update. My lappy was going haywire and then there's college. **

**Please R&amp;R. Constructive criticism is accepted.**

**The Atheltic Author out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and High School DxD**

* * *

**Occult Research Clubroom**

"Does it still hurt now, Issei-san?" Asia asked as she finished healing the brown-haired Pawn's shoulder. Upon hearing that, Issei rolled his shoulder a few times with a look of amazement before the corner of his lips twitched upwards into a huge grin as he said, "Wow! Absolutely no pain whatsoever! Thanks a lot, Asia!"

"You're welcome! I'm glad to hear that!" Asia replied with a smile of her own as she shifted her position from standing behind him to kneeling in front of Issei to heal his injured knee, "Now I'm going to heal your knee. Don't move too much alright?" The brown-haired pervert nodded as he was sitting on the couch in the clubroom, while Kiba and Koneko sat on the couch opposite of his, with Akeno standing behind them. They were somewhat glad that Asia was saved by that maniacal stray exorcist and volunteered willingly to heal Issei, but they can't help feeling wary around her as she was a nun, which brought the matter as to why there are two notable absentees in the clubroom.

In the lobby of the old school building, where the moonlight shines through the multi-coloured window, Rias was pacing back and forth with a mildly troubled look on her beautiful face, seemingly having a lot of thoughts running through her mind while her club secretary Ichigo, who was back in his physical body, was leaning on his back against the railing, his arms crossed in front of his chest. It was when Rias saw that Ichigo brought back the nun that she said that they need to talk in private, which brought them to the current situation, but they haven't spoken a single word since.

"Can't you just calm down a little bit, Rias?" Ichigo finally broke the silence, getting tired of the crimson-haired Devil's antics, "I know you're bothered by the fact that there's a nun currently in the clubroom, but this is just ridiculous."

"You don't understand, Ichigo." Rias retorted as she stopped her pacing and turned to fully face the Shinigami Substitute, "It's just that my servants and I are Devils, and she is someone who's affiliated to the Angels, and from what I've told you before, you know both of us are polar opposites and arch enemies. What's more, I'm an heir of a noble Devil family and the King of my Peerage. If word somehow managed to get through the Gremory Household that I'm 'holding' a nun as captive..." she trailed off, letting the words sink into Ichigo as she continued her rant seconds later, "I understand that she may be used by that stray exorcist and the Fallen Angels to their own benefit, and don't get me wrong because I'm a glad she was saved, but a part of me is mad at you for bringing back an enemy into my clubroom, because my demonic instincts-!"

"Alright I get it now, Rias. Jeez, take a deep breath and calm down." She stopped as she heard his voice and felt both of his hands on her shoulders. She tilted her head upwards to see Ichigo with a neutral expression before he sighed, a trace of guilt in his face.

"Firstly, I still don't really get how this whole Three Factions world works, so if bringing that girl here somewhat pissed you off a little because she is a member of the church, I'm sorry," Rias just responded with a huff and turned her gaze away from him, missing the hardened look on his face as he continued, "But from what I've been through, I know there are some good people at opposing sides, and she's one of those people," Ichigo's mind wandered to Uryu (even though he has a stick up in the ass) and Nel/Neliel, both of who were opposites beings against him. Even though his knowledge of the Three Factions were at surface level, from what Rias told him, it somehow reminded him of the relationship between Shinigami, Hollow and Quincy, with the latter of the three close to extinction, and he knew there are some good people at opposing sides of the spectrum.

Plus, he had a brief introductory conversation with that nun before he brought her here, and she gave off an aura that strongly reminded him of a certain healer back in Karakura. And she was never the type to hurt people, even if she was fighting against an enemy.

"I understand where you're coming from, but considering she is willing to heal Issei even though she knew he is a Devil, she is not the enemy we should be concerned about now is she? I bet she only allied with those Fallen Angels who invaded your 'territory' because she had not much choice and maybe she could tell us some info about those bastards."

Rias looked down and frowned, feeling conflicted upon hearing what he said and Ichigo knew he was slowly breaking down her walls regarding her stance against the nun, "But still..."

"You are worried for your own and your peerage's well-being, especially if word is spread to the Underworld regarding this situation, so your concern is understandable, but I assure you that nothing bad will happen to you guys, I promise."

She slowly looked up directly at his eyes, giving off a look that screams 'moe' which made Ichigo gulped and went slightly red in the face, but it wasn't obvious due to the lowlight conditions, "You promise?" she whispered.

Ichigo managed to regain his bearings upon hearing that as he cleared his throat and replied, "Yeah uhh, let's get back to the clubroom and check on Issei. He should be healed by now." With that, he grabbed Rias' hand and pulled her along towards the clubroom.

His hold on her hand made Rias uncharacteristically blush at the contact. Usually she would be the one initiating contact, and she loved the reaction she got from him when she did, but this was probably the_ first _time he actually initiated contact. It felt... different in a way she can't explain it in words. Looking at Ichigo's back, she smiled as she eventually returned his hold.

...

"There! Your knee is healed as well, Issei-san." Asia happily stated as the green light around her hands died down. Issei proceeded to stand up and do some quickfire high knees. Once again, in his astonishment, he felt no pain whatsoever.

"I presume that you are fully healed since you're moving without any difficulty, Issei." Said Pawn and the others turned to the entrance door to see Ichigo and Rias entering the clubroom, but what really caught their attention was that they were holding hands.

But no one managed to say anything about it as Issei immediately spoke excitedly, "Yeah! No pain whatsoever! I feel like I could kill a Stray Devil with one punch!"

"Do you actually really mean that?" Ichigo muttered with a sweatdrop.

Rias let go of his hand, which made Ichigo blush in embarrassment as he realized that he had walked in while unknowingly still holding her hand, and examined where she recalled Issei's injuries were. Her face shifted in a look of amazement as she spoke, "Your healing powers are most impressive, Asia-san. There's nothing remaining. I don't even have to use my own power to heal you either."

"Yatta! You heard that, Asia? Your healing powers are awesome!" Issei called out to the blonde nun with a grin, who had taken her seat on the couch where Issei sat earlier.

"Thanks for the compliments, but it's nothing really. I'm just glad I was able to help." Asia replied with a smile of her own.

"But still, why were you with that crazy bastard?" Issei asked, making Asia frown as he continued with a confused expression, "And who the hell is he anyway?"

"That guy is a Stray Exorcist," Kiba replied as Rias leaned on her desk while Ichigo and Issei took their seats on the couch then solely occupied by Asia, "They are Exorcists who were expelled from the Church due to their extreme methods. Without much choice, they would usually ally themselves with the Fallen Angels."

"So he is one of those extremists..." Issei muttered to himself before he turned his attention to Asia and said out loud, "Does that mean you're one of those people, Asia?"

Asia shrank even further as she heard those words. Ichigo could see she was getting really uncomfortable with the gazes from the Devils. After moments of silence, she finally spoke up, albeit softly, "Yes, I was expelled from the Church and brought here to work as a nun in the local Church, but I had no idea they were going around doing evil and taking people's lives. I could never be a part of that..." Flashbacks of the mutilated body of the person Freed killed appeared in her mind as she trailed off.

"Asia-san," Rias called out, making the blonde nun looked towards her, "If you don't mind, can you share with us how did you ended up working for the Fallen Angels? I guess they were using you for your power, so how long since you are capable of using your power?"

Another long moment of silence as Asia gathered her courage to speak up. She looked a little hesitant at first before she nodded to herself and said, "I was abandoned by ma parents after I was born. I was told I had been found crying in front of a small European town's church, and that was where I grew up. It all started when I was 8, when I encountered a wounded puppy, close to death, wandering into the church. I prayed as hard as I could, hoping for a miracle to happen, and it did."

_"I guess that was when her Sacred Gear awakened," _Rias thought.

"That gained the attention of the Church community, and soon after, I was taken to a big church where I was ordered to heal illnesses and injuries of Christians all around the world. I was happy that I could help the people with my power!" Asia then looked down with a sad look on her face before she continued with her story, "But then, one day, I encountered a man unconscious on the floor, heavily injured. So I used my power to heal him, but the man I came across was..."

"Was that man a Devil?" Rias questioned, and Asia nodded in confirmation as she looked up with a sad smile on her face, "When the Church community found out about it, they kicked me out, branding me a heretic due to the fact that I have the power to even heal Devils."

"And that's where the Fallen Angels comes into the picture..." Issei muttered, and Asia once again nodded in confirmation.

"So where will you go from here now?" Ichigo asked, causing the blonde nun to turn towards him, "There's no way you want to go back to their side, do you?"

Asia shook her head as she replied, "After seeing what they do, I could never be a part of it. Also, I suspect they just want me because of my power. But to be honest, I don't know where to go from here..." she trailed off which brought them to another moment of tranquillity.

"...We can't let her stay here," All eyes were on Koneko as she broke the silence. She rarely spoke up during meetings, "...She's an enemy to us Devils."

"Bullshit!" Issei exclaimed as he abruptly stood up, clearly enraged, "She's clearly not an enemy! She even healed me even though she know all of us are Devils!"

Ichigo scowled deeply as even though he won't openly admit it, he silently agree with the oppai-loving Pawn's words, though it was understandable as to why Koneko and surely the others felt that way.

"I hate to admit this Issei, but technically, Koneko-chan is right," Rias said as she crossed her arms, regret seeping through her tone, "She is affiliated with the Church, and are a natural enemy to us Devils. Conflict would surely arise if word if spread within the Factions regarding this situation."

"But we can't just let her go back to them!" Issei argued back, "Hell knows what's going to happen to her if she did."

Another moment of silence ensued before Rias moved around to her desk and rummaged her desk drawer for an item, and started speaking, "I understand your concern, Issei. That course of action is what I would go for as a Devil. However, as someone with a conscience as well, I want her to stay safe as well. That's why after much thought, the only way to save her and prevent further conflict is if she joins us, if she's willing of course." as she finished speaking, she lifted up the hand that was rummaging her drawer, showing a chess piece.

A Bishop piece.

"Wait hold up," Ichigo spoke up, "Are you going to do what I'm thinking you're going to do to her?"

"Yes, this is the only way I could think off to fend her off from the Fallen Angels' grasp," Rias answered, "Plus, her healing powers could be vital to my Peerage later on."

"What is that?" Asia asked, tilting her head in confusion as she looked at the chess piece.

"This is an Evil Piece," Rias replied as she stood up and slowly walked towards the nun as she continued, "It is used by us Devils to reincarnate other beings into Devils." Asia gave her a 'oh' look as Rias remained silent to let her words sink in. It wasn't long before the blonde nun widened her eyes at what Rias was implying to her.

"I never thought of reincarnating someone affiliated with the Church into my Peerage, but after seeing how that stray exorcist have treated you, I don't want to see that happen to you again. This is the only method I could think of if you want to cut ties with the Fallen Angels and stay safe with us," Rias continued, "But I won't force it on you. The decision lies in your hands."

Asia proceeded to look down as her body shook. This was all going so fast for her. She thought she had met some decent people in the Fallen Angels when she joined the church here, but then she realized they were the lowest of the low, doing malevolent things and killing innocent people. Instead, the Devils showed up and turned out to be the nicest people she had ever met, an now they offered her to become one. They have all but helped her in every way. She really didn't want to go back to the Fallen Angels' side, so her choice was obvious, but still...

"I'm sorry, Rias-san, but can I have some time to think about this?"

"But Asia-!"

Rias wasn't able to continue what she was going to say as she noticed Ichigo was giving her a small glare and shook his head at her, silently telling her not to force the poor girl to make a decision so soon. The crimson-haired beauty just signed and rubbed her temples with her free hand. Maybe she was pushing her a little too much.

"Alright, I'll give you about a day at most," Rias finally relented, "But that's already pushing it, especially with the Fallen Angels after you. Is that alright for you?"

"Yes, I will have an answer by then," Asia nodded, her lips curving slightly upwards into a small smile of gratitude, "Thank you, Rias-san."

"It was no problem," Rias replied with a smile of her own as she walked back to her desk, "I just wanted to help, that is all. As for where you stay, I take back what I've said before. I usually don't allow members of any opposing Faction to stay within the clubroom, but for you, I shall make an exception."

"B-but, I don't want to be a bother. A-And you said bad things will happen to you if I'm found here."

"Trust me, you're not," Rias waved away the nun's concerns as she leaned on her desk. "And as for the latter, I'm willing to take the risk, which brings this matter to you, Issei."

Said Pawn jolted in surprise as he heard his name being mentioned by Rias. With a shocked look on his face, he pointed to himself and stuttered, "W-What? Me?"

"Yes, you, Issei," Rias responded, "Since you're the one that knows her best, I will leave you in-charge of taking care of her, which means that you'll have to stay here too for the night to take care of her. Can I rely on you for that?"

Issei's eyes shimmered a glint of determination as he stood up, clenching a fist in from of him and spoke with resolve, "You can count on me, Buchou! I'll take care of her without fail!"

...

And that determination turned into nervousness as Issei sat at the side of the bed facing the door, sweating bullets. No, not because of the task he was assigned to by Rias to keep watch on Asia, it was regarding their current situation.

There is only one bed in the room, and a queen-sized one at that.

The Pawn, currently wearing his usual red t-shirt and boxers as his sleepwear, fidgeted at his seat as he waited for Asia to finish her shower in the clubroom's shower room. His mind couldn't help but letting his perverted imaginations come to life at the thought of the possibility sleeping with the cute nun on the same bed, especially when she was just _exactly_ his type of girl.

Her alluring slim curves even though she wasn't even trying, her cutesy personality and looks, her magnificent blonde hair flowing down her back. Damn son, she is the girl of his dreams dammit!

His train of thoughts were broken, or maybe accelerated, when he heard the door of the backroom opening. He looked over to that direction to see Asia entering the room. The moment he laid eyes on her, Issei was speechless. She looked practically glowing with the short-sleeved translucent white sleeping gown she borrowed from Rias which reached her ankles. As it was translucent, the moonlight shining through the window provided him enough light to notice her curves underneath the gown. There was only one word to describe her.

"Beautiful," Issei muttered unknowingly. It took a while before he realized he said that out loud and averted his gaze in embarrassment, blushing and covering his mouth with his hands in the process, _"S-Shit, why did I said that out loud?!"_

As Asia heard that, she blushed a red crimson. No one had ever called her that before, but for Issei to call her that, she felt an undeniable rush of happiness in her emotions as she replied with a smile which made her glow even more under the moonlight, as far as Issei was concerned, "T-Thank you."

"Uh y-you're welcome!" Issei replied with a nervous smile on his face as he stood up and motioned the nun to take the bed, confusing her slightly. He may be a pervert, but he won't stoop low enough to take advantage of a defenceless woman as he said, "Erm... uhh… there's only one bed here, so I'll sleep on the floor, while you'll sleep on the bed."

"No, that can't do Issei-san!" Asia said as she looked at him in surprise, "There's enough room for two, and you may catch a cold if you sleep on the floor." She then looked down, her face expression getting softer and sadder as she whispered, "Do you not like me that much?"

"Wha- Of course not! Where did that come from?!"

"So please don't sleep on the floor," Asia begged as she took a step forward and held both of his hands on her own, startling him with her actions. She have a hopeful look on her face as she said, "Please, sleep with me on the bed."

It took a massive ton of willpower for Issei to suppress his raging hormones and not nosebleed on the spot. She had no idea what she said can be interpreted in another way, especially with the way she said it and when her hands were holding his. Knowing that she would not take no for an answer, he relented as he sighed and nodded, "Alright fine, if you don't mind."

"Really? I'm glad." Asia smiled as she pulled him to the bed, taking a seat on the bed with the brown-haired Pawn following suit, when he noticed her face expression slowly went back to the one she had when she thought he disliked her.

"Are you okay, Asia?" Issei asked her with concern, but she didn't answer him. Thinking that she was uncomfortable by the fact that they will share the same bed, he slowly stood up as he said, "If you're uncomfortable, I could just sleep on the fl-!"

"No!" Issei, and even Asia herself was surprised at the tone she used. Shaking her head, she pulled him back down to sit down as she continued, "No, it's not that. I was just thinking. It's just that until now, even when I came to Japan, bad things happen around me."

"Asia..."

"Even so, I never stopped praying to God, expressing my gratitude," She paused as she looked down, but Issei knew she was mustering her courage to continue, so he remained silent, and he was correct, "I guess that the Lord is testing me. If I am able to overcome this test he bestowed upon me, He will make my dream come true. That's what I believe in."

"Your dream?"

"Yes, that I'll be able to make a lot of friends," Asia replied with a sad smile on her face, "Together, we'll have fun, buy flowers and books, and chat about so many things." She then turned to look directly at him, and Issei noticed there are tears gathering at the corner of 8her eyes, "I had no friends, you see?"

Issei was going to say something, but he was unable to as one of Asia's hands raised up and cupped one of his cheeks, making him froze on the spot as she continued, "Now I realized my dream had already came true, because I met you, Issei-san. Even though you're a Devil, and you know I'm a part of the Church, you didn't see me as an enemy, and you still befriended me and accepted me for who I am." Tears started to fall from her eyes, "I'm glad I met someone as nice and kind as you are, Issei-san."

It was on that moment that something just seemed to snap in Issei's soul as he shouted, "Asia!" and brought Asia into a hug, bursting into tears as well. He could feel her breasts pushing against his chest, but he didn't care about that now. All he ever cared about at the time was the girl in his arms, unwilling to let her go from his grasp.

"I'll be the best ever friend you could ever have, Asia," Issei proclaimed, tightening the hug, "From tomorrow, I'll buy you all the flowers and books you want. I'll chat with you every day for as long as you like. And we'll spend time together and have fun as much as you like. Even if you decided to not become a Devil, I swear we'll still be friends, and that's a promise!"

Asia could not help but teared up even more as she heard his words. Bringing up her arms, she returned the hug as tightly as she could muster as she closed her eyes and whispered, "Thank you, Issei-san."

...

**Next day.**

And having fun was what Issei has planned for Asia on this day as she was practically a foreigner, he brought her on a tour around town with Rias' consent of course after much begging, with a condition that they will return to the clubroom before dusk. Of course, the Club President reminded Asia of the decision she had to make later tonight, to which Asia noted, saying that she will have a decision by then. Other than Ichigo, she was the only one currently at the clubroom, as her other servants were summoned.

As for Asia, this must be her most memorable day of her life so far as she followed her friend all over town, having fun no matter where they went. As they went out slightly before lunch time, their first stop was at a decent burger junction. Seeing Asia's face when she saw her very first burger was priceless for Issei. Oh if only he had a camera with him. It was an amusing experience teaching the blonde nun how to eat a burger yet one to remember. It was even hilarious seeing her embarrassed face when Issei told her she had ketchup and bread crumbs all over her face after finishing her burger. Guess bringing her to a burger junction was a good decision after all.

After their lunch, Issei brought her to the arcade, where he always went with Matsuda and Motohama after school hours. They played many different games for hours, in particular the claw crane game machine, when Asia practically lit up like a Christmas tree when she noticed Racchu-kun was in one of those machines. Issei noticed it and asked if she liked them, which made Asia blush like a tomato as she tried to deny his statement, but finally relented as she said 'Yes' without making eye contact at him due to embarrassment. Of course, as he was a frequent arcade visitor, Issei played the claw crane game machine and succeeded in capturing Racchu-kun on his very first try, and gave it to a thankful Asia as a momento of their hangout. But the highlight of the day was the photobooth, where they took photos of them making silly faces.

Before they realized it, it was almost dusk, and they decided to settle down on a park bench and chill before going back to the clubroom, and Asia had a bright smile on her face as she swung her legs casually. They may not have enough time to buy flowers and books, but it was still a fun day indeed.

"I've never had so much fun in my life! Thank you, Issei-san!" Asia stated brightly as she held Racchu-kun tighter in her arms.

"You're exaggerating, Asia," Issei chuckled as he drank a few gulps of the the liquid from the soda can he bought from the vending machine, "But I'm glad you had fun." Then, he noticed her demeanor changed to a pensive one as she looked away from him. Feeling curious and worried, he asked, "Is something the matter?"

Asia shook her head and replied, "It's just that I'm going to make a decision tonight. A decision that may change my life forever..." She trailed off, but Issei remained silent. She knew wat her decision was going to be, but she had to really make sure as she asked, "What does it mean to be in a Peerage?"

"Eh? Um..." that question caught the Pawn slightly off guard as he scratched the back of his hand with his free hand, trying to think of an answer. Moments later, he answered carefully, "Well, if my memory doesn't betray me, as you will be reincarnated by Buchou, you will be reincarnated into a Devil and become her servant," the moment that word left his lips, he quickly waved his hands a little wildly as he continued, "B-But Buchou doesn't treat us like that! On the contrary, she treat us like a family of sorts. Helping her servants when they need it."

"I see, Rias-san is such a nice person." Asia said as she smiled a bit. Now looking back, she thought it was ironic as the Devils were the good people, but the Fallen Angels are not. Yes they may be fallen, but they were still Angels, yet they were the worst kind of people she had ever met.

"Look," her train of thoughts were broken as she heard Issei spoke, "I may be biased or maybe because I don't want you to go back with those bastards, but I really want you to be a part of us. However, it's not in my position to decide for you. I already said it yesterday, but once again just promise me we'll still be friends whatever your decision is. Can you do that?"

The blonde girl was smiling, a small tint of red covering her cheeks as she placed her hand on top of his, surprising him as she replied, "You are my first friend, Issei-san, and the one who made my dream come true. How could I forget all of that? So yes, I definitely promise we'll still be friends no matter the outcome."

The brown-haired student gave her a smile of his own and nodded as he got up, "Alright then, it's almost dusk, so let's go back to the clubroom, shall we?"

"Hai!"

"You are not going anywhere."

A cold female voice suddenly spoke up behind them, alarming Issei as he unconsciously shielded Asia from harm as they turned around. Two pairs of eyes went as wide as saucers as they saw an overly scantily clad female figure with long black hair reaching down her hips and black wings standing in the middle of the man-made lake with her arms crossed. For Issei, it didn't take him long to recognize who was that said figure.

"Yuuma-chan?"

"Raynare-sama?!"

The Pawn's eyes took a quick glance at Asia as he heard what she had called her, and she was gripping onto the back of his shirt in fear. Moments later, he turned back his attention towards his ex and scowled, "I knew it. You're a Fallen Angel."

"So it's true that you've been living a lowly life as a Devil after all," started the now named Raynare with a smirk as she turned her attention towards the nun, "Asia, you can't run away from me."

"No! I will not go back to a place where I have to kill people!" Asia shouted at her.

"Yeah!" Issei added as he stepped forward, "I won't let you take her away!" With that, he raised his left arms as he shouted, "**Sacred Gear!**" There was a glow of green on his left hand and the red, fingerless gauntlet manifested on the back of Issei's hand.

Raynare blinked a few times before she bursted into laughter, catching Issei off guard at what she was laughing at, even after he has activated his Scared Gear. After her laughter died down, she then spoke smugly, "So, it was just a **Twice Critical**. Damn, we're so off the mark."

"T-Twice?"

"Known as the Dragon's Hand. It temporarily doubles the power of its wielder." Raynare explained, "And even my superiors said 'He has a powerful Sacred Gear'. And because of that, I have to go through all that entire girlfriend farce with you." She then changed her demeanor to the one Issei recognized her the most as she mimicked herself saying, "'I love you! Please go out with me!' Remember? Till now, I still remember your ungainly smile it's hilarious!"

"Shut up!" Issei shouted as he pointed his gauntlet at the Fallen Angel.

"You won't stand a chance with me using that piece of useless trash!" Raynare retorted with a dangerous glare as she formed a light spear, "Just hand over Asia and I will leave, maybe."

"I already told you! I won't let you take her!" Issei retorted.

Raynare glared even more as she flew upwards, pulling back her light spear in the process and shouted, "Well, since you're so stubborn, how about you just die!" before she threw it towards them at incredible speeds.

Issei was sure he won't be fast enough to dodge it as he pushed Asia away so she won't be pierced as she was standing right behind him. She heard Asia shouted his name before he felt he was pushed to the side as well, falling onto her at the process and letting the light spear missing him by mere inches before it crashed into the ground behind them and exploded upon impact.

As the dust finally cleared, lightly disoriented, Issei looked up to see who was his saviour, only to see a familiar shade or orange hair, who was standing tall in front of his downed form. Judging by the casual clothing he was wearing, Issei guessed he was still in his physical form. "Ichigo-senpai?"

Still levitating, Raynare eyed at the newcomer who decided to interrupt her retrieval mission, and immediately recognized him as the "powerful Shinigami" Dohnaseek had told her about, if his orange hair wasn't a dead giveaway. She managed to suppress an incoming blush as he was pretty hot in her eyes. With above average height, the looks of a bad boy delinquent judging by the scowl etched on his face, and his near-perfect muscular physique threatening to rip out from his tight-fitting clothes, he was exactly just her type.

"Sorry for crashing into your party, Fallen Angel," her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Ichigo's voice, so low and so husky, feeling her face heating up. Yep, he's _totally _her type, "But you will not kill Issei and take back Asia with you. Not under my watch."

Raynare's eyebrows contracted to give a scowl in return upon hearing the newcomer's words. If he was really as strong as what her comrades had told her, she had to finish her retrieval mission as fast as possible, "Are you the Shinigami my comrades had told me about?"

"What if I am?" the Shinigami Substitute just asked in return.

Raynare just sighed as she shook her head at him, "You are pretty hot, just my type actually. Too bad you're allied with the Gremory girl and her servants. So even though it hurts, I have no choice but to kill you." As she finished, she formed another light spear, preparing to attack once more.

"How do you know we're here?" Issei asked as he slowly stood back up and helped Asia up.

"I was tailing you," Ichigo looked over his shoulder to see a surprised look on Issei's face as he responded, "Rias asked me to keep an eye on you two, and only interfere if Issei was in serious trouble. And so here I am." He then looked forward to focus on the enemy as he continued, "Take Asia with you and run to the clubroom. I'll deal with her."

"Hai!" Issei nodded as he took Asia's hand and make a beeline without haste, pulling her along with him, but then he heard the Fallen Angel shouted, "Oh no you don't! Kalawarner! Mitlett!"

And on cue, a familiar black portal appeared above them as they continue running, alarming Ichigo as he motioned to his pant pocket to take out his Combat Pass, only to find...nothing?

_"Shit!" _Ichigo mentally cursed as his eyes went wide, unable to recall where the hell did he misplaced his badge, _"Of all times, why it has to be now?!"_

"And you won't interfere!" that shout from the Fallen Angel brought him back to reality, only to see her spear came flying towards him. Eyes widening, he sidestepped in reflex as it just grazed his left cheek before hitting the brick pavement behind him and another explosion occurred, blowing him off his feet and creating a huge cloud of dust.

Ichigo groggily stood up as he waited for the dust cloud to clear. As it did, he gritted his teeth in frustration as he saw an unconscious Asia in the arms of a tall Fallen Angel with short navy blue hair, while Issei was passed out unconscious on the brick pavement, with another petite Fallen Angel with blonde hair styled in twin short side ponytails standing over him. The seemingly powerless Shinigami Substitute recognized them as two of the three who tried to distract him the night before.

"And here I thought you were as powerful as what they told me," he whipped his head towards the smug voice of Raynare as she spoke up, "Powerful my ass, because you had been avoiding my light spears like a weakling. With your state now, you can't defeat us." And that made him clench his fists hard because he could wipe the floor against these three in his Shinigami form and save both of them. But now without his Combat Pass, there was nothing he could do.

_**"Oi King, use my mask!" **_Surprisingly, his inner Hollow shouted in his mindscape. It was odd he thought, as he rarely spoke up. But still...

_"I can't! Can't you see?! I'm not in my-!"_

_**"There's no time to argue!"**_ He widened his eyes in shock as his inner Hollow interrupted him, and he sounded more pissed off than usual, _**"Just shut the fuck up and do what I say, dammit!"**_

He really didn't like the thought of using his help, but Ichigo knew he had no choice. He scowled deeply and mentally crossed his fingers that this will work as he brought his left palm to his face, his fingers curled inwards in a ripping fashion. He then channelled his reiatsu onto that very palm, and to his surprise, he felt the familiar tugging sensation of the mask preparing to manifest.

The Fallen Angels just watched in curiosity as they saw Ichigo bringing his palm up to his face before it changed into looks of shock and astonishment as they watched a mass of black energy with a red outline forming throughout his face. As he pulled down his hand in a ripping motion, the energy dissipated, and an immense pressure suddenly hit them hard, making them stumble, but it was gone as soon as it came. As they took a good look at him, they gasped and unconsciously took a step back in fear as in place was a menacing white skull with jagged teeth and two vertical stripes, each on one half of the mask. What surprised them most was his eyes. What was a pair of brown eyes was replaced by a pair of intimidating eyes with black sclera surrounding the irises coloured in yellow.

Before they could comprehend what had happened, Ichigo was right in their faces as he delivered a roundhouse kick at the petite Fallen Angel, receiving a gasp of pain in return as she was blasted into the trees behind her.

"Mitlett!" the blue haired Fallen Angel shouted in worry, but before she could prepare herself, the masked man was upon her in an instant. In quick succession, he ripped her grip of Asia from her and landed a devastating palm on her solar plexus. The Visored saw her eyes went wide as she flew backwards, her body tumbling along the floor in a heap before she finally stopped, completely unmoved. He then lay the nun gently on the floor beside the unconscious Issei before he turned his attention to Raynare, "Y**ou'r**e n**e**x**t.**"

Raynare backed up in a mixture of fear and arousal as he heard his voice. Rather than the low, husky voice from before, his voice was severely distorted that screams fear and death. That fact that he just defeated Mitlett and Kalawarner with just one blow each was not helping her cause either, but she refused to back down. Forming another Light Spear in her hand, she shouted, "Y-Your mask means nothing still! Because I will kill you and retrieve Asia!" And then she threw it, even faster than before. She smirked when she saw the orange-haired Shinigami didn't make an effort to take evasive action whatsoever, so imagine her shock when he raised his right hand and calmly caught it barehanded, seemingly without any trouble.

"I**s tha**t a**ll y**ou** go**t?" Ichigo just stated before he threw the Light Spear right back at her.

_"Fast!" _she thought in alarm as she lean back just in time to avoid the spear by inches, only for her eyes to go wider in shock at the sight before her. Above her, with his right leg raised up high, preparing to land an axe kick on her, was the masked Shinigami.

Before she could even react, Ichigo brought down his leg to deliver a powerful axe onto her torso, making her gasp in tremendous pain as she rocketed down into the lake, creating a huge splash in the process from the force of his kick. Staying afloat on air, he looked down at the spot where she fell into for a few moments, before she floated up onto the surface of the water, face up and her eyes closed, seemingly motionless. Convinced that the enemy was dealt with, he lifted up his right hand which was clenched into a fist. As he opened it, there were burn marks throughout his whole palm. As he thought back from his brief skirmish with the black-haired Fallen Angel, he knew it was caused by the Light Spear she threw at him when he caught it. It hurts like a bitch, and he thanked the mask for hiding his look of grimace at that time.

His scowl deepened as he continued to examine the burns on his hand. It was odd he thought, it should be impossible. He knew enough that only Devils can only be truly affected by the powers of light, and no other beings should experience the same brutal symptoms as Devils if they were to be attacked by any form of them, such as light spears.

And then there was the cut on his left cheek that was currently flowing out blood. That too, was caused by a light spear he just barely managed to dodge. What was even more bizarre was he felt no burning sensation from that wound, unlike the one on his right hand. Also, he got that wound when he wasn't wearing his Hollow mask without any burns, while he only experienced the burns when his Hollow mask was on.

...No, now's not the time. Clenching his fist and shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts away into his subconscious. Now with the enemy dealt with, he just have to retrieve Issei and Asia and bring them back to the clubroom unscathed. Mission accomplished.

Disappearing in a boom of static, he reappeared at the spot where Issei and Asia lay still. As his feet touched the ground, his mask broke without warning. His eyes widened as he lost the feeling of his legs, forcing him to kneel own onto one knee. Beads of sweat were flowing down from his forehead, panting as the sudden loss of energy hit him hard. He somewhat knew this was gonna happen as his physical body couldn't cope with the substantial increase of power from the mask than in his soul form as it wasn't as strong and durable. He had no idea how he used the mask while he was still in his body, but whatever the reason, he didn't really care. The main point was he was able to save the both of them with it.

"As expected, you are truly a fearsome enemy, Shinigami."

He froze as he heard a familiar male voice behind him. Pushing himself up, he turned around and immediately recognized as the Fallen Angel who tried to kill Issei, judging by the fedora he was wearing.

"I'm impressed that you are able to defeat all three of them with only one blow each. I had never seen that kind of power before, but how unfortunate that you can't entertain me with it as you are unable to use it consecutively, judging by how you are currently struggling to stand up," he then outstretched one of his hands, giving him a 'give me' gesture as he continued, "Return the nun to us, and I may spare you."

Ichigo scowled deeply and gritted his teeth as he knew what he said was true. The mask really took a toll on his physical body, and he could feel that his energy reserves were running low. If he tried to summon his mask in his current condition, it would ripped his body apart from the inside out. Even so, he didn't care. He would still fight and protect those around him, even if he was at a disadvantage. Taking a fighting stance, he crouched down a little, shielding the two unconscious teenagers behind him as he growled, "I don't care what you said. I still won't hand her over to you, bastard."

Dohnaseek narrowed his eyes at him before he just sighed and closed his eyes as he said, "I really commend you on your courage, Shinigami, but you just don't understand, don't you." And with that, everything happened so quickly. For one moment, Ichigo saw the fedora wearer spread his black feathery wings. One second later, he was right in front of him, feeling tremendous pain piercing through his stomach as he could feel the taste of blood beginning to well up in his mouth. Looking down, his vision was greeted with a light spear sticking through his stomach.

"In your current condition, you don't stand a chance against me." Dohnaseek taunted as he released his hold on the light spear and took a step back, allowing the spear to vanish. This caused vast amounts of blood to spill out from the wound and Ichigo to vomit out the blood welling up in his mouth as he slumped forward, face down onto the ground, lying over his pool of blood. It was a miracle that he managed to roll over onto his back.

His vision was beginning to waver, but he could see that the Fallen Angel just walked past him and picked up the still unconscious Asia into his arms.

"There there, after Raynare have done her ritual with you, all your sufferings will end," Dohnaseek spoke as he looked at her before he switched his attention towards the downed strawberry, his face showing a hint of disappointment, "Till our next battle, Shinigami, if you could stay alive that is." And with that, with a snap of his fingers, he was gone, leaving a few feathers in its wake as it slowly fell down onto the ground.

Ichigo could feel he was going to lose consciousness, but damn he wasn't as hell going to give up. He willed his body to move, tried to make it do something, anything.

But it was all for naught.

Shit, if only he had his badge with him.

Dammit.

A bright light of red shone upon his eyes and he heard a familiar feminine voice shouting his name before he was pulled into the void of darkness.

* * *

**Writing this chapter was painful. I couldn't believe I was able to finish it.**

**Damn, my typing skills is so rusty I couldn't even. Well, it's understandable as I barely typed since the start of the year.**

**Speaking of which, I would like to apologize for putting this story into temporary hiatus. I received many comments to update this story ASAP, and believe me, I wish I could, but college life have been a bitch, and it cuts me off most of my free time to do anything other than assignments and revising. I was able to update it finally because it's finally semester break.**

**One more week and that will end as well. Ugh.**

**Hope you enjoy the new chapter. I'm not really happy with it, so if there are flames, I will accept it.**

**I'll try to update this story again soon, but I can't promise anything.**

**Till then.**

**Please R&amp;R. Constructive criticism is accepted.**

**The Athletic Author out.**


	7. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER, BUT PLEASE READ.**

**I planned to add this into my disclaimer of my next chapter, but I don't think I can wait that long.**

**So my previous chapter have prompted comments of the possibility that Ichigo will join Rias' peerage. This is my answer to them.**

**Absolutely not.**

**Honestly, you guys are jumping into conclusions so easily.**

**I thought I already made it clear in an earlier chapter that Ichigo could not join Rias' peerage due to their power differences. Her remaining pieces are not enough to resurrect him. Even I blanched at the thought of Ichigo joining Rias' peerage. It just doesn't sit right.**

**As for that unexpected ass whooping Ichigo had gotten from those Fallen Angels, it was because he was still in his body. His physical body couldn't handle the enormous power the mask had granted him for long peroids unlike when he was in his Shinigami form, that why it broke just after a couple of minutes, or less. Yes, I understand that he had his Fullbringer training which made his body more stronger and durable to fighting, but it's nothing compared to his Shinigami form. Plus, his Fullbring and Hollow powers are so far apart in terms of power. His Hollow is equal if not stronger than a Vasto Lorde for Christ's sake. Speaking of why he couldn't resummon his mask, that mask was the one he acquired after fighting Ulquiorra, the one that was heavier and harder to resummon due to his fear of its power, unable him to Hollowfy properly, and that's when he is in his Shinigami form. Do you honestly think he could resummon it if he's in his physical body?**

**That last chapter had gotten a lot of hate, and maybe lost a lot of readers due to Ichigo got nerfed so bad and because most of you guys thought he would be a part of Rias' peerage, WHICH WILL NOT HAPPEN.**

**For those who are loyal, thank you for bearing with me.**

**Sorry for the long rant, but the moment I saw the comments regarding Ichigo joining Rias' peerage, I knew I have to make an explanation. And the fact that the lot of you are impatient and rage quit on this story after that chapter because you guys jump into conclusions ao fast saddens me. Honestly, please have more faith in me.**

**The Athletic Author out.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or High School DxD**

* * *

_"This is not my room."_

That was the first thought that came to Ichigo's mind as he woke up, looking at an unfamiliar ceiling colored in dark red. Moonlight was shining through the parted curtains of the sole window in the room. Why the hell was he here he thought? He then recalled when he kept an eye on Issei and Asia, then the Fallen Angels showed up, and then he pummeled them down using his mask even though his Shinigami Badge wasn't with him, and then it broke, and then...

...He failed.

Damn his badge and that heavy mask of his.

Wait a minute.

His eyes widened as he remembered he was stabbed in the stomach by one of those bastards. He immediately sat up and placed a hand over his stomach. Surprisingly, he felt no wound, only firm skin, wrapped up in bandages of course. It was then he realized he was topless. Suddenly, he could _directly_ feel the bed he was laying on with his whole lower half of his body. Shaking and silently hoping what he thought wasn't true, he slowly lifted up the sheets that covered him from the waist down, and gasped in surprise as his worst fears were real.

He was fully naked on bed.

What the actual fuck?!

"Ara ara, it seems you are awake, Ichigo-kun."

"GAH!" the orange strawberry shouted in shock as he immediately pulled down the sheets to cover his body's lower half. Looking over at the opened door, his saw Akeno standing there with her usual smile on her face, both of her hands holding what looks like a set of clothes. "Dammit it Akeno, you scared the shit out of me."

"Oh really? I'm glad I did, ufufufu~," Akeno then closed the door behind her and walked into the room, placing the set of clothes just beside him, before she boldly straddled him on his lap and brought him into a hug, much to his surprise and embarrassment, as he was practically naked under the sheets.

"W-What? Akeno, wh-what are y-!"

"I was scared, Ichigo-kun," He stopped in surprise as he heard her voice, her breath tickling his neck. Instead of the usual teasing tone Akeno used, it was replaced with... sadness? Concern? Both? "No, I was worse than scared. Words could not describe how I feel when I saw you laying there on your own pool of blood. I thought I was going to lose you." Without letting him go, she pulled away to look at him in the eyes. Ichigo was frozen on the spot, she looked so sad. She looked so vulnerable it gave him the urge to just hug her and comfort her all night, "Promise me you won't do that again, okay?" she whispered pleadingly.

Ichigo could only just stare at her as she said that, a hint of guilt in his eyes. That was not a kind of promise that can be easily kept. Either way, he wrapped his arms around her in return as he spoke in an equally soft tone, a soft smile tugging on his lips "I don't know if I can keep that promise, but I can promise that I will be more careful. How does that sound?"

Akeno just looked at him, her expression unreadable before she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, eliciting a blush from the club secretary. As she pulled away, she gave a small smile in return as she replied, "I suppose that's fair enough." She then hesitantly let go of the hug, prompting Ichigo to do the same as she took the set of clothes she brought in beside him and hand them in to him. It was then Ichigo noticed a brown pentagonal piece resting on top of the garments.

His Substitute Shinigami Badge.

"It was on the coffee table of the clubroom," Akeno explained, sensing the unspoken question Ichigo was going to ask, "We felt an energy spike at the park, but Rias told us you were there, so we decided to not interfere as we thought you could handle it on your own. When the energy spike was gone, we wondered what had happened, and Rias noticed the badge on the table, which prompted us to take action."

"I see," Ichigo just stated as he took the set of garments, scowling as he looked down at his badge in the process. How can he be so careless? He was lucky he was against opponents of decent power, but not enough to actually kill him, but if they were...

He reminded himself to make a call to Urahara-san after all this.

It was then he remembered something as he shot up to look at her dead in her eyes, concern clearly showing, "How about Issei? Is he okay?"

Akeno nodded as she replied, "He is currently speaking with Rias and sustained no injuries. Other than he was unconscious at that time, he is fine," She smiled as she saw Ichigo let out a small sigh of relief. In spite of his annoyance and loathing against the Pawn's perverseness, he still cared about the boy, "You however, were slightly complicated. Since you can't teleport with us, Kiba used his speed to bring you over to the clubroom in a matter of seconds and lay you here in one of the classrooms we converted into a simple bedroom. From there, Rias healed you. Thank the Maou your wound from the light spear wasn't as serious as we thought it would be since you weren't a Devil. She was able to heal you completely in a short matter of time."

Ichigo nodded at that. He recalled that she was well-versed into healing magic, but why the heck he had to be naked in the first place. He wanted to ask Akeno about that before he bit his tongue. That would be a bad idea. He really don't want to go through her merciless teasing.

"So what now?" Ichigo asked, "I know Devils and the Church don't mix, but are you guys going to save Asia?"

Akeno nodded as a small smile graced her lips as she spoke, "We may be Devils, Ichigo-kun, but we're still beings with a conscience. It helps that the Fallen Angels are committing grievous crimes within her territory. Then, there is the fact that Issei is really close to her. So, Rias decided, for the sake of her cute servant, we'll go save her."

Ichigo sighed in relief before he spoke, looking slightly amused, "And here I thought you guys won't go save her, because if that happens, I would've gone and save her alone then and there, no matter what you guys said."

Akeno face slightly twisted into an expression she used when she was in teasing mode, making Ichigo to inwardly curse as she leaned onto him, her magnificent mounds pressing against his chest as she said, "Ara, that's what you've been plotting when you're awake? You really are a bad boy, Berry-kun."

Ichigo blushed a deep crimson, especially when she used that nickname on him that he oh so hate as he stuttered out, "S-Shut it! And don't call me that, dammit! Now's not the time!" With that, he looked away, trying to avoid her alluring gaze in embarrassment as he slowly regained his composure as he spoke, "What's the damn plan anyway?"

Akeno face took a more serious turn, as she leaned back and said, "We will infiltrate the church from two sides, the front gate and the back gate. We suspect that the Fallen Angels anticipate us to infiltrate through the back gate, so you, Rias, and I will be the group to deal with them. As for Koneko-chan, Kiba and Issei, they'll head to the front gates, hopefully uninterrupted as they go and save Asia."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Ichigo smirked at the prospect of putting those Fallen Angels in their place. It was not that he wanted revenge for humiliating him, no sir. He just wanted to show them who they were truly messing with.

Plus, he had defeated opponents that was a gazillion times stronger than those four combined, so there was no way he was going to let what happened before slide.

"Alright then, prepare yourself and meet us there. I'll tell Rias that you're awake and ready to go." Akeno smiled as she get off from his lap before she walked towards the door and opened it. Before she exited the room, she turned around, which gave off the alarm bells within Ichigo's mind because she was giving him a sultry smile, "And Ichigo-kun?"

"U-Um?"

"You're big." That was the last words Ichigo before she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her, leaving the strawberry's entire face as red as the fruit itself.

...

"Please! Let me go and save her!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Rias didn't even look up at Issei silhouetted form at the curtains backdrop as she spoke. She just finished showering after healing Ichigo and was currently dressing up into her uniform, "It would cause a lot of conflict if us Devils go and wreak havoc in the Church. It could even break out a war."

"But Asia is my friend!"

"And a nun who is affiliated with the Fallen Angels," The curtains slid open and came out Rias, wearing her usual school uniform. She crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes at him, but Issei stood strong, "We tried to help her, but once she was retrieved into the Church, she's off limits, so there is nothing much we could do. Also, if I let you go to the Church to rescue her alone, you will be killed! I don't something like that to happen to you!"

"Then disown me!" Issei cried out in desperation, "I'll save Asia on my o-! No, I could bring Ichigo-senpai along! He's healed already right? He could help me since he is not a Devil. Plus, I'm just a measly Pawn. It's not like you'll lose much if you let go of your weakest piece."

"That's enough!" Issei stiffened as he heard the dangerous tone in her voice, her eyes stern.

Just then, Akeno burst into the room. She hurriedly walked over to Rias and whispered something into her ear that no one else could hear. Rias' face shifted for a moment before going back to a neutral expression as she nodded.

She turned back to look at the others as she and Akeno walked past the dumbfounded Issei and towards the door, "An urgent matter came up, so Akeno and I will be going out for a bit."

"B-But Buchou!" Issei shouted in surprise as he watched the Two Great Ladies walked towards the door, "I'm not done talking yet!"

"A couple of things before I leave, Issei," the redhead said as she abruptly turned around to face him, "Do you really think the Pawn is the weakest piece in chess?"

Issei was going to speak, but then decided to shut up as he looked away. He wasn't that well-versed in chess anyway. Heck, he never even played it before.

"As I said before, the Evil Pieces possess the same traits as their chess counterparts," Rias continued, "In chess, the Pawn piece possess a special ability that no other piece has: Promotion."

"Promotion?"

"Yes. Much like in a real game of chess, once it enters enemy territory, the Pawns possess the ability to be promoted into any piece other than the King."

"So that means I could have the powers of the others the moment I reached enemy lines?" Issei asked. He was keeping it cool on the outside, but there was a fire of hope in his eyes after hearing all this. He wasn't that useless after all.

"As long as I, your master, recognize it as enemy territory, yes," Rias make sure she stare directly into her Pawn's eyes as she spoke out her next sentence, "For example, the Church."

A little ways away, Kiba knocked a fist into an open palm as a look of realization spread across his face. Koneko had stopped eating her sweet snacks as she heard that last part of the conversation.

Issei swallowed as he let all that sink in. If he was able to enter the Church, he could promote into a Knight and have super speed like Kiba... or a Rook with superhuman strength and defence like Koneko-chan... Or even a Queen which is the strongest piece like Akeno-senpai!

"Listen," Issei's train of thoughts were broken as he heard Buchou spoke, "Even with the help of a promotion, a single piece would not stand a chance against a Fallen Angel."

"I don't care," Issei spoke with determination in his tone, "I'll still save Asia, no matter the consequences."

"You are incredibly stubborn aren't you," Rias sighed, which made Issei blinked in confusion. She wasn't objecting his statement like before, "Lastly, this is about your Sacred Gear. It is activated by your willpower. The stronger your will is, the more powerfully it will react to your request."

"Willpower..."

"You must remember this, Issei," Rias stated in utmost seriousness. "Even a Pawn can kill a King. This is the same basic principle found in chess. With it you can become stronger."

And with that, the Two Great Ladies disappeared in a teleportation circle.

...

And reappeared somewhere nearby the rear gate of the Church. Rias looked around as she inspected the area. It's not like she could see anything beyond the trees. They were pretty thick here. It made seeing past them impossible as the branches overlapped each other in a twisted network of patterns that only nature could produce.

"Looks like I've arrived in time."

Rias and Akeno turned around at the sound of the voice to see their favourite orange-haired Shinigami Substitute Kurosaki Ichigo arriving in a flash of Shunpo, giving the two beautiful Devils a smirk as he continued, "And here I thought I was running late."

"Ichigo!" Rias shouted as she ran towards him and engulfed him in a hug, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the orange strawberry as he stumbled back a step, catching her by wrapping his arms around her slim waist, "Oh thank the Maou, I was so worried back there when I saw you laying there over your own pool of blood. Honestly, I thought I was going to lose you there, you idiot!" she shouted out, her voice slightly muffled as her face was buried into his chest.

"Rias..."

"And you even forgot to bring along your badge! How could you be so careless? I thought you know better!" Rias pulled her head away from his chest to look at him straight in the eye, and Ichigo felt a hard pang in his heart as he saw that tears was rolling down her cheeks, "Did I heal you alright? Are you okay now? Is your stomach still hurt?"

The Shinigami/Hollow hybrid was motionless for a while before he brought up his right hand over his right cheek to wipe her tears with his thumb. He then placed that hand on her cheek, and he could feel the redhead leaning onto it as he spoke, "Sorry for making you worry that much, Rias. The only reason I got injured was because I can't truly use my powers while still in my body. I promise it won't happen again." His lips curved upwards into a comforting smile as he continued, "To answer your questions in order, yes, you healed me perfectly, yes, I'm okay now, and no, my stomach is fine now."

"Really? I'm glad to hear that, you dummy," Rias returned a smile of her own as she released her left hand from her hug and placed it over his hand that was on his cheek. His hand felt so warm and she just want to stay in this position forever, it just felt so...right.

"Ara, ara," Akeno suddenly interrupted before it could develop further. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling with a hand on her cheek as she said that, but on the inside, she was somewhat livid with jealousy, "It seems Buchou really is taken in with Berry-kun. Acting like a spouse worrying for her husband."

That prompted them to abruptly let go and pull away from their embrace, blushing like a tomato as they averted their gaze from each other, with Rias giving her best friend a half-heartened glare as she stammered, "Th-That not it! It's just because he's a friend. I would do the same if you, Koneko, Kiba and Issei were in the same position as him."

"Y-Yeah!" Ichigo replied with a scowl, disregarding that goddamn nickname Akeno called him and trying to stay calm as he tried to suppress the blush that was still invading his face, "Th-There's nothing more than that."

"If you two say so, ufufufu~"

"Well well, look at what we have here."

All that awkward tension was broken as was replaced with a sense of alarm and alertness as they heard that voice, with Ichigo immediately grabbing the hilt of **Zangetsu** behind his back, preparing for an attack. Looking up, they saw three Fallen Angels levitating above them, their black feathering wings already out. Ichigo immediately recognized them as three of the four who ganged up on him and abducted Asia back to the Church, and he was wondering why the black-haired one was absent.

"I believe that introductions are in order," the one with blonde hair styled in twin, short side ponytails and was wearing a maid outfit spoke with a smirk on her face as the three of them landed in front of them, "My name is Mitlett," and the she gestured with her hand to the buxom female with long, navy blue hair to her left side as she continued, "She is Kalawarner." And then she gestured to the one wearing a fedora hat and a trench coat Ichigo knew oh so well as she finalized, "He is Dohnaseek, and we will stop you three from entering the Church."

"As expected, I see that you have recovered, Shinigami," Dohnaseek spoke as he looked at the orange strawberry, "But the end result will still be the same. You and your Devil friends here will fail."

"That blow you gave me last evening caught me off guard, I admit," Kalawarner added, "But when I heard from Dohnaseek that he managed to stab you, I guess you're not as powerful as we thought after all."

Ichigo remained silent, but his deepening glare towards the Fallen Angels was able to get the message across.

"Ara ara, how arrogant of you," Akeno said with a smile, her hand still on her cheek, "You said you'll stop us from entering the Church, but three of our cheerful kouhai just infiltrated the Church through the front gate."

The one known as Mitlett took a double take as she stammered, "W-What?! Really! Dammit I thought all of you guys are going to sneak it from the back gate!"

"It's okay, Mitlett," the bustier Fallen Angel known as Kalawarner spoke as she placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her stomping, "It doesn't really matter if they enter through the front gates," then she looked at the three in front of her with narrowed eyes as she continued, "Because you three are the only ones who actually stand a chance to interrupt our ritual."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he heard what Kalawarner said. He heard Dohnaseek mentioned about this ritual that seemed to involve Asia which in his words will end all of her sufferings before he lost consciousness. He spoke, "What do you mean? What ritual are you talking about?"

"After the ritual is over, you guys won't stand a chance," Kalawarner said smugly as she stepped forward, "The other Fallen Angel, Raynare, is not here because she will be the one conducting the ritual, which is to take the nun's Sacred Gear and make it her own. After that, that nun will die and we'll be unstoppable. She must be grateful that we helped her escape from her miserable life."

Rias was angry after hearing what the Fallen Angel had said. To sacrifice a Sacred Gear wielder and obtain that power for their own personal welfare, how lowly can they be? At the same time, she couldn't help but worry as she took a glance at Ichigo beside. His demeanor has changed, his orange bangs shadowing his eyes as he looked down, and she could see his grip on the hilt of his sword has tightened.

"I see," Ichigo said softly, but Rias could detect it was laced with contained rage, "Sacrificing people's lives for the sake of power, huh?" He looked up with his eyes closed as he continued, "Those are the kind of people," He opened his eyes, and the three Fallen Angels gasped as Ichigo gave them a fierce glare, his eyes glowing a bright blue, "I truly hate."

An overwhelming pressure suddenly hit them as everybody bar Ichigo widened their eyes from it. The Fallen Angels were forced to kneel from the massive pressure pressing down on them, unable to breathe at the same time. They tried to force themselves to get up, but to no avail. They never anticipate the Shinigami to have such enormous power. They know he was strong, but not _this _strong. How much they have underestimated his capabilities?

Akeno dropped onto her knees as well, but it was for a different reason. She was convulsing violently, her breathing was erratic, and her whole face was flushed crimson, her expression absolutely orgasmic. She knew of the effect he gave her when he displayed his strength, and she always loved it, but this was the first time he had truly flared up his power, and it was a feeling like no other.

"Amazing." she whispered to herself as she watched the Shinigami with lust and desire in her eyes.

Rias meanwhile was forced to kneel on one knee, her shoulders heaved as her breathing picked up drastically. What unbelievable power she thought. She had known Ichigo for almost a month, and she knew he was powerful from that time he killed the Menos without any difficulty, but she had a feeling he wasn't displaying his full strength, and she had hoped to witness his true strength. So has her wishes come true? If this was his full strength, he could easily rival an average Ultimate-Class Devil in terms of power. But how can someone so young like him can be so powerful at the same time?

The crimson-haired beauty watched in mild surprise as Ichigo walked towards the downed Fallen Angels, seemingly unaffected by the pressure whatsoever. When Mitlett felt he was approaching them, she forced herself against the heavy weight of the air around them to look up, and instantaneously froze on the spot as she stared into his cold, dark gaze, his eyebrows contracted into a deep scowl.

"If you forgot how to breathe under my power, forget about defeating me," Ichigo spoke coldly as he stood over them, "Now that you have seen the differences between your power and mine, leave, before I change my mind."

As he said that, the overwhelming pressure suddenly vanished, and the blue glow surrounding Ichigo's body has slowly died down as well. Mitlett could not help but let a tear escape from her eyes after the ordeal. She was visibly shaken, if her trembling form and the fear in her eyes weren't a dead giveaway. She had never faced an opponent with power this immense, and it scared her. He was totally on a different level, and was the kind of opponent people like her should _not _go against.

Even with the three of them combined, they would not stand a chance.

"I'm leaving." To her surprise, it wasn't her but Kalawarner who said that first. As she look at her beside her, she noticed that her eyes were wide like saucers, unable to look up at him, and she was shaking as well. She wrapped herself with her wings before she disappeared in an instant, leaving a few black feathers in the process. Without saying a word, Mitlett followed suit, and then vanished in a swirl of feathers.

Ichigo then looked over towards Dohnaseek, who strangely made no signs of leaving along with his two comrades. He was still looking down, his fedora shadowing his eyes and remained kneeling, unmoving. He was wondering what the Fallen Angel was plotting when he suddenly heard... laughter?

"ahah...hahahaha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!" Dohnaseek laughed like a maniac as he looked up towards Ichigo with a disturbing grin on his face, which caught the Shinigami off guard as he took a few steps back. He had seen that grin before, when he fought against Kenpachi. His eyes narrowed as he watched the fedora wearer slowly stood up, dusting his knees in the process.

"You are insanely strong, Shinigami!" Dohnaseek exclaimed with glee, "I knew that you didn't display your true power in our previous excursions. Now I can truly fight against you, knowing that you're a worthy opponent."

"I see," Ichigo paused, "Why didn't you follow them?"

"Tch, why should I go back there?" the man scoffed, sounding disgusted at the thought of rejoining the Grigori. "Everyone there is weak. Constantly trying to maintain this _fragile peace _we now have. I've gotten sick of it! I want battle! I want a good fight so that I can finally enjoy this life I have!"

A feeling of deja vu washed over the Shinigami as he heard those words. His crazy ass grin, his love for having a good fight, this guy really reminded him of Kenpachi on so many levels.

How pity that his power wasn't.

"So you love having a good fight huh? That adrenaline rush when you exchange blows against strong opponents."

"That's right!" Dohnaseek crowed. "I crave battle! I need it! To fight strong opponents and enjoy bathing in that rush of battle! Ever since this damn stale mate I've been without it for so long I thought I might go mad!"

"Until I met you, Shinigami," Dohnaseek's right hand started to form a spear of light as he spoke, "You defeated Raynare, Kalawarner and Mitlett with one blow each even when you're not at full strength. You made the latter two to flee after witnessing your tremendous display of power. Granted, those two are weaklings and I am not." The Fallen Angel pointed his newly crafted spear of light at the Shinigami, a maniacal grin on his face, "Let's dance, Shinigami. Let's see who will triumph? You? Or me?"

"I told you before that even with the three of you combined, you won't stand a chance. What makes you think you could take me on alone?"

"That's because those two were in my way."

"I see," Ichigo sighed as he let the bandages unravel from **Zangetsu's** blade and brandishing it to his side, the moonlight reflecting from the oversized blade, "Fine then, I'll be your opponent. To answer your question regarding who will come out on top, it has already been answered."

"Huh? What the hell do you-!"

Dohnaseek could only froze on the spot, his eyes wide as he watched Ichigo just _glide _past him. He heard his footsteps as he finally landed on the ground behind him as a distance. Time seemed to slow down, the silence unsettling yet deafening as Dohnaseek stiffly looked over his shoulder. Ichigo was still in his original stance before he glided past him, but his blade looked slightly different. There was liquid dripping from the sharp edge of the blade, and that liquid's color was... red?

"GAAARRRRRRRRRH!" The Fallen Angel screamed in pain and slumped down onto the ground, kneeling on one knee, as tremendous amount of blood suddenly gashed out from the right arm... or rather, the stump that used to be his right arm that was holding his light spear, "Shit, shit!"

Rias could only watched in surprise as she stood there, spectating the ridiculously one-sided skirmish as Ichigo just displayed his incredible speed of his. One moment he was in front of the Fallen Angel, the next he was standing at a distance away behind him, slicing off his arm in a speed she couldn't comprehend. Even Kiba wasn't that fast.

"That is how much my power transcends over yours," Ichigo spoke as he turned to face Dohnaseek's back, "So I'm giving you one last chance to leave. If not, I will not hesitate to cut you down."

Dohnaseek gritted his teeth in anger as he heard those words. Dammit, he totally didn't see that coming. To just glide past him and to slice off his arm just like that in a short moment of brilliance of speed. And the Shinigami even said that he could do more damage than that. What kind of technique is that? Shit, he really don't want to leave and go back to Grigori, but with his arm sliced off and still spewing out blood, he was clearly at a disadvantage. Shakily standing up and turned around to face Ichigo, he spat at him with a glare before speaking, "You'll pay back for this, Shinigami." before he spread out his wings and wrapped them around his form, disappearing in a swirl of black feathers.

Rias have a lot of questions running in her mind as she watched as Ichigo flicked his sword to his side to remove the blood on his blade before he placed it back on his back, letting the bandages to wrap around the blade. His power clearly outclassed the three Fallen Angels combined by miles, and he could've inflicted a single death blow on each of them if he wanted to. But instead, he let them leave before it's too late, and only proceeded to slice off the right arm of the one named Dohnaseek when he refused to leave the first time. They were enemies, so why didn't he kill them?

"Are you okay, Rias?" Said person's had her thoughts interrupted as she heard Ichigo's voice in front of her. She looked up, only to gasp inwardly as she saw the face of Ichigo looking down at her. She was so into her thoughts she didn't even realize Ichigo was walking towards her and stood directly in front of her, but that was not why she was surprised.

Ichigo was giving her a face expression that she had never once seen before all the time she had known him. His scowl was etched almost permanently on his face and even when he smiled, his scowl was still there, albeit less intense, but now there was none of it.

He was giving her a soft smile, a genuine one at that. His eyebrows weren't contracted in an angle that represents a scowl, but rather relaxed to the point that the scowl was almost non-existent. No scowl, no nothing, just a small, soft smile. His eyes showing concern and relief as he spoke again, "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

Rias' heart skipped a beat and her cheeks were tainted red as she looked at him. She had never seen such a soft expression played on Ichigo's face before, and even though she was used to his scowl, to the point she knew it was a natural thing to him, a part of her within her soul wished he would show this soft look on a daily basis because it suited him oh so well. If he wears this expression to Kuoh-

_"...No,"_ Rias thought as she shook her head at the Shinigami's question, giving him a similar smile in return, _"He will show that expression to me, only me." _"No, I'm not hurt at all, Ichigo." she spoke.

"I see, I'm glad to hear that," Ichigo nodded, the smile still intact, but it dwindled moments later as he realized he didn't see Akeno with her. As he looked around, there was no sign of her, making him blink in confusion. Seeing this behavior, Rias was wondering what was he looking for and was going to ask just that when he beat her to it, "Where's Akeno though?"

"E-Eto..." Rias could only gulped as she heard the question. She knew what had happened to Akeno when Ichigo released his power, but she didn't know how to explain it to him. Without saying a word further, she only glanced back at her, making Ichigo to do the same as he looked over her shoulder. His eyes went wide as he saw Akeno was still kneeling, looking down at her hands between her thighs. The both of them could see she was still slightly shuddering.

"Akeno!" Ichigo shouted in worry as he maneuvered past Rias and kneeled in front of the black-haired Queen, "Are you alright? Did the release of my reiatsu affect you badly? If so I'm sor-! Uwah!"

It was at that point Ichigo motioned to touch her shoulder.

Bad mistake.

Before he could even react, he gasped in surprise as he was instantly pushed on the ground, with Akeno straddling on top of him, her hands on his well-defined chest. What unsettled Ichigo and made him really hot on the inside was the hooded look the seductive Queen was giving him as she spoke, her voice alluring, "It affected me badly, Berry-kun. So badly," she licked her lips sensually before she continued, "But it felt so good!"

"What?!"

"Cut it out, Akeno!" Rias fumed as she pulled her up, away from the lap of one very stunned Strawberry. The female side of her was jealous of Akeno putting the moves on her love interest, and was angry at Ichigo for allowing that to happen, but her professional side was angry that they are wasting time.

Thankfully, the latter prevailed.

"Honestly Akeno, now's not the time," the King of the lightly reprimanded her Queen, her hands on Akeno's shoulders, "Our kouhai are still in there, and we've to go check up on them, so please control your urges."

"But Buchou~"

"No buts," the Occult Research Club president interrupted her sadistic best friend's whining before she could explain herself. She knew what Akeno was going through, but Koneko, Issei, and Kiba were still in the church saving the little nun, and she really wanted to check up on them as she couldn't help but worry about them. They were her servants/friends after all, "I want you to calm down before we enter the Church. As your King, that is an order."

Akeno just gave her a disapproving pout before she sighed and relented to her King. Putting both of hands on her chest, she stood still and took a few deep breaths, and slowly but surely, her breathing was stabilized and her blush began to recede from her face. After a while, she was back to normal.

"Good, now we can enter the Church without any interruptions," Rias stated approvingly as she switched her attention towards the Shinigami/Hollow hybrid, "How about you, Ichigo? Are you good to go?"

"Uh? Um... I guess," Said person meekly said, already standing up and still a little bit stunned from Akeno's actions.

Rias smiled at his answer and proceeded to pivot on her heels and walked towards where the Church was. She had actually thought of using the teleportation circle, but refuted the idea as it was just a couple minutes' walk.

Ichigo was going to take a step forward as well but was unable to as the black-haired beauty moved in his way and walked towards him. He couldn't help but gulped in nervousness as he watched her closed the gap between the two of them to stand directly in front of him, before she leaned in to his right ear, much to Ichigo's surprise as he was totally frozen on the spot.

"Do not think you have gotten away with this, Berry-kun~" she whispered sultrily before she licked his earlobe, to which Ichigo jolted in surprise as she leaned back and winked at him before she turned around and walked towards the Church, accentuating her sway on her hips as she walked away from him.

Ichigo could only just stand there as he unconsciously watched her rear end as she walked away. All the teasing in one single night was a little too much from him to handle. Realizing what he was doing, he shook his head from the raunchy imaginations as he tried to calm down. He was still a healthy, hormonal male teenager dammit! This was even worse than what he endured from Yoruichi back in Karakura, and she was already bad enough.

It was official. He was definitely going to take an ice bath tonight after all this.

...

Life is unfair.

That was the recurring thought Issei had in his mind as he held the body of Asia in his arms, unable to control the tears that was continuing to flow. At a distance behind him, Kiba and Koneko were watching him, giving him the space he needed. Both of his thighs were bleeding profusely from the light spears Raynare had fired him, but the pain was incomparable to Asia's demise. He may had awaken a new form of his Sacred Gear and had defeated Raynare in the process, but the victory was pyrrhic. He may have retrieved her rings which is her Sacred Gear and slid in back onto her fingers, but he felt no happiness. He still failed to save her.

Dammit.

How can fate be cruel to someone so kind?

He heard multiple footsteps walking towards him behind him, but he paid no heed about it as he continued crying, blaming himself for his weakness for failing to save the blonde nun. Plus, he didn't even bother turning around to see who were the newcomers, as he knew who they were anyway.

"I'm sorry, Buchou," Issei spoke weakly, his voice hoarse from all the crying as he hugged Asia's body tighter to his chest, "I talked like I'm some big shot, and even with the help from you guys, I still failed to save Asia."

"It's okay," Rias tried to comfort him, "You just lacked the experience as a Devil. No one will blame you for this."

"But... But I-"

"Issei-san?"

Gasps were heard throughout the Church, and Issei widened his eyes as he heard Asia's voice, but shook his head as he closed his eyes and half-heartily spoke in amusement, "Shit, now I'm still hearing her voice in my mind. Maybe I'm going nuts already."

"Issei-kun," Kiba's voice rang out, "You might want to look up."

The tone Kiba used didn't sound like a command yet it made him compelled to do so. Slowly looking up, he widened his eyes and gaped in surprise as he saw Asia sitting on the church pew in front of him.

"Asia! You're ali-! Wait a minute," he took a double take as he realized he was _still_ holding Asia's body close to him. Looking up again to look at the Asia sitting on the church pew, he thought his eyes were deceiving him as he let one of his hands go from Asia's body and wiped his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating, but as he looked again, she was still there!

It was then he noticed a few major differences between the Asia he was holding to and the Asia that was sitting on the church pew. One was that he could see _through _her, as if she was somewhat translucent. Also, the other major difference he noticed alarmingly was that there was a chain dangling right at the middle of her chest.

"B-But Asia, I thought you're dead!" Issei shouted, "Yet, why I can see you? Have you turned into a ghost? Why there is a chain on your chest?"

"I-I don't know," the blonde nun replied, looking slightly surprised at the revelation as well, "I remember I lost consciousness. Then I remember waking up, feeling lighter than I usually was."

"That's because you're a Plus now."

Everyone switched their attention to Ichigo as he said that. Walking forward to stand slightly behind the still kneeling Issei, he elaborated further, "When a human dies, the soul will separate from the body. These souls of the dead are called Pluses. Do you see that chain at the middle of her chest?" he pointed out, to which the others nodded, "That's the Chain of Fate. It connects to the body when she's alive, but since she's dead, it was severed and she can no longer return to her body. She can roam freely now as a soul since the chain is broken, but there is a catch."

"What's the catch?" Issei asked as he looked over his shoulder to see him.

"Her chain will corrode slowly the longer she stays in the World of the Living. When her chain completely corrodes, she will turn into a Hollow."

"What?!" Issei abruptly stood up in shock to face him, carrying Asia's body in a bridal carry, "She will turn into that hideous creature you killed a few days ago?! There's no way I would let her turn into that! You can stop that from happening right?"

Ichigo nodded as he reach out over his shoulder to grasp **Zangetsu**'s hilt. Releasing his Zanpakuto's hold on his back and keeping its bandages wrapped around the blade, he simply placed it onto his shoulder, and everyone noticed that the base of his hilt was glowing a bright blue, "The only way is to send her to Soul Society before the chain completely corrodes. To do that, we Shinigami perform a ritual called **Konsō**, in which we pressed the hilt of our Zanpakuto onto their foreheads. From there, they will be sent to Soul Society."

"What happens when I'm sent to the Soul Society, Ichigo-san?" Asia asked.

"Nothing." Ichigo simply stated as he placed his sword back onto his back, to which Asia blinked at the short answer. What does that mean?

"Nothing?"

"Yes, nothing. Other than your name, you will lose all memories of the time when you're alive. You won't remember you were a nun. You won't remember how you died," Ichigo proceeded to look at her directly as he said his final sentence, "You won't remember knowing any of us."

Asia widened her eyes as she heard that. If she goes to the Soul Society, that means she won't remember a thing about Issei-san. He was the first person she made friends with. He was the one who made her dreams come true. She didn't want to forget all of that! After all he had done for her during their brief time knowing together, how could she just let all of that go?

"I have a feeling you don't want to be sent to Soul Society, that's why you have a decision to make," Ichigo looked over his shoulder to look at Rias with a smirk as he continued, "A decision that is still pending since yesterday."

Knowing what Ichigo was talking about, Rias smirked back.

"W-Wait," Issei stuttered as he looked back and forth at Asia and Ichigo, can't believing what he was hearing, "D-Do you mean-"

"That's right," Rias spoke as she walked to stand beside the orange strawberry, "I can reincarnate her as a Devil, that is if she is willing of course." She shoved her right hand into her skirt pocket and took out the Bishop piece she showed to Asia the day before as she continued, "At first, I only wanted to reincarnate her as a Devil because of her powers, but now the reason's more than that. As a King, I want my servants to be happy, and if reincarnating someone who is precious to my servant into my peerage makes him happy, I would gladly do so."

She then switched her attention to Asia's spirit as he continued, "So Asia, it's time to make a decision. Do you want to move on and go to Soul Society, or to be reincarnated as a Devil and continue living as my servant?"

Asia smiled serenely as she looked up to them and spoke, "If I died before I came to Japan, and a Shinigami came to send me to the Soul Society, I would've accepted it. But now, I don't think I want that," Issei watched as she stood up and took a step forward to stand directly in front of him. She lifted her hand and he stiffened as she placed it on his cheek. As he stared at Asia, he noticed there was a red tint on her cheeks as she continued, "Now, I just want to be close to Issei-san's side no matter what. And if that requires me to abandon my faith and be reincarnated into a Devil, so be it."

Issei could only widened his eyes as he heard that, and his tears came back in full force. But this time, it held a different meaning.

It was tears of happiness.

"It's settled then," Rias smiled, "I'm sure you will make a great Bishop, and you will be under Issei's care, as his junior Devil."

"Hai!"

"I believe I can entrust this responsibility on you, Issei?"

"Hai Buchou!" Issei said with determination in his eyes as he looked at the Gremory Heiress, "I'll take good of her without fail!"

With everything in place, Issei proceeded to place her gently on the hard concrete floor, while Asia's spirit form moved to lay down right beside her body. Rias then moved closer and rested the Bishop Piece on the body of Asia's chest, where her heart was. A red Magic circle appeared under the two forms as Rias took a step back and with her arms spread wide open, she began to chant.

"I command you, Asia Argento, on my name Rias Gremory!"

The Magic circle and the Bishop piece started to glow a bright red, and the chain on Asia's spirit form started to noticeably lengthen.

"Become my servant and walk these lands as a Devil!"

As she said that, the brightly glowing chess piece sank into the nun's body, and the lengthened chain from her soul plunged into the chest of her body as well.

"You shall lead a new life with great joy as a member of my peerage!"

As she said the last sentence of her chant, Asia's soul was pulled into her body, and as they finally merged, the glow from the Magic circle died down. Nothing happened for a few seconds after that, but Ichigo knew the ritual was a success, as he could feel a decent amount of spiritual power flowing inside her, in contrast to before that he felt none of it from her body when she was dead.

Moments later, the rings on Asia's fingers began to glow green for a moment before it faded away as well. Then, her body twitched a couple of times, and everybody watched as she slowly opened her eyes. She sat up slowly and looked around her to see Issei and the others surrounding her before she looked down at her hands, a smile broke out on her face, "So I'm alive again huh?"

"Asia!" Issei shouted, tears of joy gathering at the corner of his eyes as he closed the gap and immediately wrapped his arms around her tightly, surprising her in the process. "Come, let's go back together."

The others had smiles on their faces as they watched the heart-warming scene, and they were glad that this entire ordeal was finally put to rest.

...

Well, maybe not the entire ordeal, as far as Rias was concerned.

The heir of the Gremory clan was walking with Ichigo, who was back in his body, back to his apartment after the rescue mission. Before that, they had went back to the clubroom after that and discussed a couple of matters. The first topic they discussed was about Issei's new form of his Sacred Gear which he managed to activate before he successfully defeated Raynare. Turns out that it wasn't a **Twice Critical** that Raynare had suspected, it was one of the Thirteen Longinus, the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet, **Boosted Gear. **That explained why she had to use all eight of her Pawns to resurrect the young pervert. With that being said, she was glad she had recruited someone who had that huge of a potential in her Peerage. She believed that with the right motivation, and guidance from her secretary, Issei could fulfill that potential to the maximum, or even beyond that.

After that, they discussed about Asia's post-reincarnation plans, such as where she would stay. Education wouldn't be a problem as the former nun is a part of her peerage, and her dad is a part of Kuoh Academy's management department. Rias initially planned to let Asia stay in one of the rooms in the old school building temporarily until she found a place for her to live, but Issei then proposed to let Asia stay with him in his house, to which the blonde Bishop agreed to it somewhat a little too enthusiastic. Regardless, since Asia is placed under Issei's care, she thought the proposal made sense, so she allowed it, much to their joy.

What that all said and done, they were dismissed as it was getting late at night, and they went their separate ways, with Rias accompanying Ichigo back to his apartment.

But Rias couldn't help but being bothered about something.

Something that involved her favorite Shinigami Substitute.

As she looked at Ichigo, she couldn't help but recall the events that occurred at the forest behind the Church. That fact that he let the three Fallen Angels go somewhat bothered her. They had done terrible things, they were despicable, and most importantly, they were their enemies, so why? Why didn't he kill them when he had the chance? Was it because he as merciful? Was it because he hated killing?

"You know, if you have a question to ask me, just do so."

The low, husky voice of Ichigo broke her train of thoughts and she came back to reality, only to widen her eyes as she saw Ichigo was staring back at her. Realizing that she had took a little too long looking at him, she averted her gaze with a blush on her cheek, feeling a little embarrassed, "I… I don't know what you are talking about."

"As if," Ichigo scoffed, "You have been looking at me back and forth and you held your gaze at me slightly longer than before just now without realizing it before I called you out. You think I wouldn't notice? Clearly you're bothered about something, so what is it?"

Rias bit her lip in hesitation. Now that she got caught, she don't know how to present the question to him. Choosing her words carefully, she finally asked, "I just want to know why… why you spared them…?"

"Those Fallen Angels?"

The crimson-haired princess nodded reluctantly, "Yes."

Ichigo stopped walking as he heard that, to which Rias followed suit, giving him a slightly confused look. She watched as he looked up into the night sky, his gaze melancholic as he spoke, "I had no reason to kill them. I mean, I would be lying if killing them had never crossed their minds when I faced off against them, and I could do it without any problems if I wanted to, but what purpose would that serve? Yes, they had seen and done many horrific things, but it was because they may be misguided. That's why they fell from Heaven in the first place right? We've all got our inner monsters, and I don't know their past so I have no right to truly judge them, bad or good, whatever."

Rias remained silent as she heard that, but it was fine. The look her face said it all.

"Besides, I'm a protector. I protect lives. I will only kill when the evil is totally beyond saving." Images of Ginjo Kugo, the only antagonist he had killed among his countless battles, flashed in Ichigo's mind as he said that, which intensified the look of grimace on his face. He would've killed Aizen as well when he unleashed the Final Getsuga Tenshou on him if not for his High-Speed Regeneration that saved his arrogant ass before he was sealed by Urahara's kido. Looking down at Rias, his gave her a small smile as he continued, "People can change, Rias. The bad to good, the good to bad. The line can simply be blurred." He then chuckled in slight amusement, "Plus, I have this uncanny knack that most of my enemies I fought against would eventually fight with me on the same side. When the time comes, maybe the Fallen Angels will put their differences aside and fight alongside us. Who knows? Only time will tell."

Rias couldn't herself but found herself in awe at Ichigo's wisdom. It was almost like he was speaking from experience, in spite of the fact that he was just the same age as her. If she told herself that the Fallen Angels, Angels and Devils will fight alongside each other in the future, she wouldn't believe it herself, but the way he said it, it sounded so... firm, like it can actually happen, despite the major differences between them.

Just what he had gone through for the past few years to obtain such maturity?

"Have…you ever been in a war, Ichigo?" Rias questioned carefully.

"I had." She was left stunned as she could see the anguish within Ichigo's eyes. It lingered for a few seconds before she watched as Ichigo shook his head, and it was replaced with a tired smile, "But it's not something I want to talk about, so let's not dwell alright?" He then angled his arm, motioning her to hold it, "Now it's pretty late already, so let's continue walking. I have a feeling you are here not to just walk me back to my apartment. Plus, I'm in need of a goodnight sleep." He was slightly surprised how he had adapted to sleeping alongside her even though she would be naked when doing so. And to be honest, he liked the feeling of having her sleeping by his side.

Rias just looked at his arm for a moment before she smiled and wrapped her arms around it, "Alright then, let's go." Ichigo simply nodded at that with a smile and they continued their walk back to his apartment.

With her questions finally answered, now she can truly put the entire Fallen Angel ordeal behind her.

And she knew a new one was arising, literally from the ashes.

But with Ichigo by her side, she had a feeling everything will be alright.

* * *

**There you go, Chapter 7. Finished right before my semester starts.**

**I see there are readers who are still raging about Ichigo forgetting his badge. You guys need to remember that despite the fact that he was powerful af, Ichigo is still a _fucking _human. He is imperfect, he can be careless, and he can forget something important, like bringing his badge. I'm a college student, and I sometimes even forgot to bring along my student ID tag with me to college.**

**I hope this chapter is to your liking.**

**Please R&amp;R. Constructive criticism is accepted.**

**The Athletic Author out.**


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